


Portal to Another World - Final

by orphan_account



Series: Portal to Another World [3]
Category: Transformers - All Media Types
Genre: Body Horrorish Elements, Changing Frame, Established Relationship, Forced implantation, Growing Within, Horror Elements, M/M, NSFW, Other, Oviposition, Psychological Drama, Psychological Elements, Rape/Non-con Elements, Spark Bond, Sticky, Sticky Sexual Interfacing, Tentacle Rape, Tentacles, Transformers Spark Bonds, drunk, forced carrying
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-14
Updated: 2019-12-29
Packaged: 2020-05-07 15:40:38
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 29
Words: 99,828
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19212460
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Wheeljack once again uses the portal and ends up in an even worse situation than he ever anticipated. Subject to his own experiment causing his frame to alter and change in a way that Wheeljack was not prepared for over a period of time. While this is happening, Ratchet and himself must keep up with the daily routines of the base or else they'll lose the war.





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cat's previous two works in this series were tests, now we are heading in for slow build up. This is set in Cat's own version, an AU and doesn't line up with any others. Characters are Cat's own interpretations and descriptions of their appearances are left mostly vague to allow for people to imagine which versions they like the most or their own except that Wheeljack is much smaller than Ratchet in this. This story is kind of a dealing with things going wrong while trying to maintain appearances and continue on sorta thing and is very slow paced in areas and hits the fan fast in others to create and set tone, drama ETC. This work, like many of Cat's others, are simply tests of one's imagination and exploration of things gone wrong. Warnings will be stated before a chapter.

It had been around two weeks since Wheeljack had used the portal machine, two weeks since his second failure to find a viable energon source as their Earth resources always fluctuated in availability and recently their stores were thinning. The lower end stuff they saved for emergencies never burned properly for him which made his sensitive tank queasy and his frame unable to run at optimum level. 

The planet he discovered would be vital to the Autobots with the vast amount of natural energon located on it, problem was that a monster resided there and seemed to take a great interest in him and he couldn't get anyone else involved. Wheeljack paced back and forth in his lab analysing any possible way to access the vast resource without it attacking him again, it seemed to be able to guess where one was going to open and waited there for it, waited to jump at him, but why? What was it after? 

Wheeljack looked at the device and questioned if it had been long enough that the thing may have moved on. Temptation was building in him, curiosity clouding his judgement, he reached forth to power it but his conscience returned stopping him from powering it as he pulled his servo away. A knock at the door followed shortly after. He knew he'd have to postpone the test a little longer, at a time where he knew he wasn't going to be bothered and when the base was still... well as still as the Autobot base was capable of. Wheeljack opened the door only to have the individual before him shove into him pushing rudely into his lab... Prowl doing his monthly check, except this time it was unscheduled, which is unusual but not out of the realm of possibility for the by the books bot.

“Prowl why are you here, next check ain't scheduled for another week and a half”.

Wheeljack hated people prying into his personal space, especially Prowl, it was mandatory but he usually had time to prepare before one, hence the schedule. He watched Prowl wander around writing down things in his book before he finally found the need to reply.

“I've been concerned with your ability to get things done around here lately, in the last three weeks you have produced no results from your two tests, tests that have wasted resources that we have allocated you, resources that we could use for anything other than your little time wasters and fireworks displays that often end up in you injuring yourself and those injuries leading to the waste of medical supplies and the valuable time of our Chief Medical Officer”

Wheeljack felt his irritation evolve into anger, anger he tried to keep to himself until Prowl was done, he knew if he lashed out the process would take longer, he wanted to leave, to go see Ratchet who was finishing soon, but he couldn't leave his lab unattended with this invader.

Prowl's harsh words spurred thoughts that began to stir within Wheeljack's mind as his anger turned inwards, maybe he really was just wasting everyone’s time, everyone's space and everyone's resources, maybe he was wasting the time of his bond mate, who had more important things to attend to being the Chief Medical Officer, maybe he really wasn't useful to the Autobots anymore or maybe he just wasn't useful to begin with...

“No”, he countered internally, he wasn't hopeless, he'd invented countless useful weapons and contraptions that the team have used, the immobiliser being one of the many, he'd also been the one to procure many of their supplies so he was entitled to them, the portal worked, he'd seen it and Ratchet had made sure to make time for him because he wasn't a waste of it, he was Wheeljack, the genius Autobot inventor and he'd not let Prowl get him down. 

“The portal works Prowl and on the other side of it is a massive supply of energon that flows on the planet and feeds into it's ecosystem, I've seen it and both times the portal has worked, the reason I haven't extracted anything yet is because of a slight complication, I must try to figure out if it would harm the system of the planet if I extracted large quantities, I kept it a secret because I wanted to clarify that it won't harm it first. I will begin a third test in the next few days, I need time and a lab area that will be left completely alone so as not to cause any unnecessary distractions or contamination”

Wheeljack sounded incredibly confident despite lying through his denta for almost the entire statement, he knew that taking energon would not harm the system as the planet produced an excess amount according to his scanners, and his reason for secrecy was because of the monster that decided to have it's way with him not once but twice and the second time he brought his bondmate into that mess and still felt guilty about it. Wheeljack couldn't mention the monster to Prowl as it ran the risk of getting his project shut down.

Prowl gave him a look of intrigue then continued finishing up on his inspection before initiating a response.

“ I will allow you to resume your tests but if you have nothing by the next scheduled date, we'll be forced to renegotiate your allowances as power and energon supplies are getting lower for the time being” 

Wheeljack ex vented heavily with a tinge of annoyance and relief, but he soon came to the realisation that he had a week and a half to extract some energon and before that talk to Ratchet about powering up the machine again. He was sure that monster wasn't going to get him this time, he'd waited two weeks instead of two days this time, surely it thought he wouldn't be back.

“You've still got a fair bit left of your allowance, I hope that portal doesn't sap all of it away” and with that Prowl finally left.

Wheeljack was relieved, he needed to go out so he could spend this night with his Ratch, they'd finally found some time between their busier than usual schedules to do something nice together. After turning of lights and devices, locking the door and checking it three times he finally headed off to the med bay to meet up with Ratchet and he was going to take him for a drive to a nice little spot he liked, then on their way back he'd bring up the experiment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cat hopes you enjoy the story and know that more tags will be added as story goes on and if there is a tag that should be there, please let Cat know in the comments, feedback and spotting is also helpful as Cat has no others but them self to work on this.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some more build up and relationships, they needed something nice to do together.

Wheeljack waited patiently outside of the Medbay for Ratchet to finish up, he knew that the busy 'Chief of Medical Operations' would always be late coming out due to the influx of paper work that never seemed to end no matter how much he devoted to finishing it, a complaint Wheeljack had heard far too often but appreciated as his bondmate made damn sure that every necessary detail was covered, not just for the patient's sake but for his own sake too, CYA (cover your aft) was definitely a major contributor to his obsession with organising documents. Wheeljack used the CYA approach as an influence to his own documents of experiments but the person being injured was often only himself so it was self induced incident reports which he usually never filled out anyway, but nonetheless, it was important to prepare for anything major.

It had been around ten minutes before Ratchet was seen locking up the door to the med bay, Wheeljack made a pre emptive dash to his bond mate nearly tackling him on impact, if not for Ratchets near immediate reaction to catch the smaller mech and spin him in his arms to ride out the momentum he surely would have been knocked over, by now he was used to his mate's over enthusiasm when he finally got to reunite with him after a long day.

Ratchet held Wheeljack firmly in his grasp, the smaller mech's pedes dangling above the ground as he was engulfed by his much bigger mate, a feat unseen by any of the other bots within the Autobot base. Ratchet eventually released and lowered the smaller mech to the ground, watching his winglets flap excitedly up and down and side to side.

“ So Ratch, ya got any ideas o' how we should spend the night? I was thinking of a nice drive, but don't worry i'll let you keep up!”

Ratchet took note of his enthusiastic partner and thought for a little before coming to his conclusion

“ Yeah, sounds like fun, we haven't gone for a night ride in a while, it will allow me to clear my head too” Ratchet really could use a nice ride, he enjoyed the cool air and starry moonlit sky of Earth despite it having only one moon it was still beautiful, it also allowed Wheeljack to show off his famous stunt driving, which always managed to simultaneously impress and terrify him.

Ratchet wasn't really that slow, infact he was quite fast for a bot of his size and make as he often had to rush to help when time was critical in saving a life, but compared to the compact speeder that he was bonded to he was sluggish. The two bots exited the base and transformed taking off quickly.

Wheeljack circled him as he drove swirling dirt as he did, the agility mesmerizing Ratchet, he enjoyed the show. Ratchet was good at speeding in a straight line towards a designated place, Wheeljack however had the ability to speed and bend at the same time, it was quite the feat and his talent never ceased to intrigue Ratchet whenever they did get the time to drive together.

Ratchet followed Wheeljack until he slowed near a cliff edge and transformed mid speed. Ratchet slowed before he himself transformed back taking his place next to an already seated Wheeljack as they overlooked a star lit forest from a nearby lookout. Ratchet wrapped servos around Wheeljacks chassis as he felt his bond lean into him. 

“Wasn't that fun Ratch? Look at how beautiful this planet is, the vastness of the lands, the interesting animals and their intriguing history, all the scenery and the landscape to rally across, it's so different to Cybertron but it's all so fascinating” 

Wheeljack sounded so happy to be able to finally leave the base after such a long time of getting work done, he had a curious mind and a fascination with anything different and unusual, which Ratchet found extremely inspiring ,despite his own enthusiasm being watered down with cynicism. To him, Wheeljack was one of the few beacons reminding him of the beauty left in the universe after centuries of war and devastation, not just in his mate's enthusiasms but also his ability to see beauty and uniqueness in an ecosystem like this that was unforgiving to it's inhabitants.

“Yeah, it was fun driving with you here, is this a common place you visit when you go for your drives?”

“Yeah, it is quite common actually” Wheeljack responded,watching over the landscape.

“I come here to clear my mind and observe the intricacies of this planet, the way the birds fly and other things” Wheeljack continued

“I wasn't going too fast was I?” Wheejack asked.

“Naah, I could keep up fine, I might be made for lifting and heavy duty but I can dish out speed and a little agility when I need it, I love watching you though, the way you spin and move, you look so happy and free, as if you're finally able to let loose, and despite the danger, I know you won't get yourself hurt”. 

Ratchet usually only ever felt truly comfortable around Wheeljack, sure he talked to the other bots and was close to them, especially Optimus, but he only really let all his guards down around Wheeljack.

The two sat closely together observing both the night sky and the starlit forest, for all the time they'd been on Earth and gotten used to it's time measurements and cycles, they'd not really explored it like this too often and when they did get to leave base it was mostly to fight the cons or some human threat. Ratchet himself had rarely gotten to actually explore much of the planet's beauty and when he did go for his drives he often only stuck to a circular route and not paid any mind to his surroundings as he tried to calm and relax his mind for sleep.

“This is a nice little spot Jackie, the view of the trees and the stars is quite relaxing” A content Ratchet whispered.

“ It is huh, I come here to clear my head and I’ve been waiting to bring you here for a while, but you're always so busy whenever we get the all clear to be able to roam”

“Thanks for showing me this place” Ratchet replied,

They left the spot after awhile and made their way back towards the Autobot base, but at a more leisurely pace than they were before, Wheeljack sounded serious, his usual word shorting missing from his speech, seemed to want to talk about something, but Ratchet knew he'd have to prompt a response from him, and it might explain the extreme feelings he felt earlier through their bond.

“Is there anything that you want to discuss?”

Ratchet watched Wheeljack think for a bit before he made a response.

“Prowl came in uninvited, I was a little pissed off so I came here, I feel like I should let you know that”

Ratchet heard that Prowl was going into Wheeljack's lab, but he assumed it was for the scheduled appointment.

“Prowl said that I was a waste of supplies, among other things, he also said that I needed results fast before he started cutting them again, am I just wasting your time?”

The question made Ratchet unhappy, Prowl was usually to the point and had no idea of what feelings were, he was aware of their relationship to each other, all the bots knew that they were together, it was rather rude of him to say such a thing but maybe he just worded it wrong, Prowl was never any good at being social and always managed to offend the more emotional bots. Ratchet then realised that Wheeljack had also mentioned results.

“Jackie, you know that you could never waste my time, I'd do anything to make sure you're ok so don't let Prowl tell you I won't and also, results? You mean from your portal experiments right?”

“Yeah, I waited this long hopin' that the monster would grow tired, I didn't let Prowl get to me, but I want to help the Autobots, I want this plan to work, I brought you for this drive to talk to you about it and I want you to back me, or else I lose my supplies which will cripple this experiment and anything else I decide to make” Wheeljack sounded so sullen, the idea of not being able to create made the small mech quite unhappy.

Ratchet wanted his bond to succeed in this, the extra energon would be useful for all bots and the success and extraction would make him happy, Ratchet considered the risk.

“Are you certain that the creature won't be waiting for you?”.

“I'm positive it won't be, it's been two weeks and I'm sure it's moved on by now”.

“I'm worried for you ok, just, if you decide to do it again please be careful”.

“I can only try, but unpredictability is part of the process, makes it more exciting that way”

Ratchet transformed back into his root form, he was in front of Wheeljack this time, but knew the smaller bot had let him be first as he took his time, quite possibly weighing in the pros and cons.

“Thanks for showing me that place, I'm feeling tired so lets just go straight into recharge” Ratchet replied watching his bond turn back, and after he did he took his servo in his and led him to their berth.

“ I'll do the experiment two nights from now, tomorrow I want the night with you again” Wheeljack sounded tired too, Ratchet couldn't complain, there was no dissuading him, Wheeljack's determination always succeeded in the end.

“Alright then, I got the morning/day shift tomorrow, leaving us the late afternoon and night free, the all night shift the day after so if you have any mishaps I’ll be ready alright” Ratchet said lying face towards his bond who had finally opened his mouthguard, revealing the beautiful scarred face he hid behind it.

“Ok, night Ratch” Wheeljack took his place next to his bond and both bots drifted into recharge.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cat admits this is filler, build up and some background information, also introducing that Ratchet will also be a POV.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cat has changed the rating to explicit as they realized they will be going very far in terms of the elements that are in tags. A little bit of play. More characters are found around the place.

Wheeljack woke to his internal chronometer screaming at him that it was 8am, he didn't know what he was suppose to do today but maybe he should check in with Perceptor who is meant to be coming back sometime this week from who knows where, doing Primus knows what. The realisation of the empty berth hit him and he sat up lightly scratching at the scars that maimed his mouth.

He pushed himself off and headed to the mirror, the same disfigured face staring back at him made him frown. He never quite understood why he bothered looking at the mirror whenever Ratchet left early and he was alone, perhaps he'd wake up and it would be all healed one day, the scar gone. The burns were only 1st or 2nd degree and packed with micro fragments from a blast but they still left deep gashes across his lips. To others it would probably be no matter but Wheeljack felt awful looking at them. Ratchet had been the one to patch them and watch them heal and kiss them tenderly at any chance he got. But Wheeljack hated them, he hated his face so he hid it from everyone, everyone except Ratchet who somehow still loved him after them. Why did he bother looking in the mirror anyway, that explosive malfunction wasn't even caused by him that time.

A knock at the door startled him drawing attention away from the mirror. The knock was simply a warning before an individual barged in causing him to reflectively shield his face with his now repaired guard. He looked at the door and another came through, two mechs stood before him, one yellow, one red... Sunstreaker and Sideswipe...“great what the frag do these guys want” Wheeljack thought to himself.

“ You know Jackie, you've been acting different for the past few weeks, since you been working on that new thingamajig” the yellow one said.

“Don't worry we haven't been in your lab, that places a death trap” said the red one.

“Why the frag are ya' barging into my room at this time and what do ya' mean 'actin' different', I admit i've been a little more stressed n stuff but we're runnin' lower an lower on good energon and that low grade garbage leaves me feelin sick and tired” Wheeljack replied slightly more aggressive than he meant to be, he did have to admit, he'd not been his peppy self lately and he did spend too much time in the lab, but they needed a way to get more energon.

“Jeez, SOMEONE, isn't happy, and yeah you never drag your aft outta' that lab lately, I heard ya experimenting with some portal or something, we know it's dangerous so we keep our distance” Sideswipe was taken aback and looked at his twin, both smiled deviously at each other, that's never a good thing.

“ Sides an I are just looking out for you Jackie, maybe yer grumpy cos you been too busy fragging around in your lab rather than with the Hatchet” Sunstreaker snickered and looked at Sides who was stifling a laugh, this was what they were here for, to torment Wheeljack, it was never good intentions with them.

“You probably have to rely on some weird contraption to get some face what with how busy he is all the time, is that what you're doing in there and why you have no results?” Sideswiped burst out laughing his yellow twin joining him.

Wheeljack stared blankly at the two fools, seems they just came in to make fun of him as they usually do, it wasn't funny but somehow they were laughing. Their banter made him realise that he really hadn't had a proper facing for months now, no the damn tentacle thing doesn't count no matter how hard he overloaded. 

Ratchet had been pulling twice the amount of his usual work and Wheeljack was also covering for Percy on his off days leaving them both too drained to do anything, he had honestly made use of a few toys which he kept in his lab for when he needed an overload but it was never as satisfying as Ratchet, the showers he had put in his lab really were a fantastic addition and him not having cameras was great. He really did need a good fragging now that he thought of how sad he seemed and how easy it was for the tentacle to get him off twice.

“Ok, you guys have a point, I have been acting a little grumpy and stressed, now get the frag out of my room before I solder your afts together”

“We're glad we've lifted your spirits, go get some” the twins blurted out between giggles

Wheeljack watched the two leave his quarters, they didn't close the door on the way out which frustrated him, as he got up and closed it he realised they'd left some hi grade engex behind, how they managed to get it was beyond him, maybe they really were trying to lift his mood... in their own way.

Wheeljack placed the cube in a lower cabinet then got to work, using the computer in his room to call Perceptor, he'd been calling him once or twice a week to brief him on the situation at the base and to see what he needed while he was out. He waited for Percy to pick up.

“Wheeljack, I was expecting you to check in, listen I've found some good pure stuff and I've loaded it on the ship, but I will stay a little bit longer to do some research, how's that little project going, I checked the coordinates and readings, the planet will be useful, it's in a recently reclaimed sector so the data is a little dicey ” Perceptor relayed in his usual peppy and excited demeanour, he always sounded enthusiastic when he was talking science, to some it was a little unnerving but Wheeljack was used to it seeing as he'd been working with him for so long.

“That's great news you got there Percy, we've been low on the decent stuff lately, some of the other bots are havin' to resort to low grade an' I'm next if we don't get some soon, but on a good note the portal works well, stays open but the planet's wildlife is organic and ..... ahhhh..... a lil fiesty I'll say, makes it difficult” Wheeljack avoided going into detail about the 'wildlife'.

“I see, thanks for checking it out, focus on the planet you've got it's important but try to get a sample of the wildlife you've encountered, it'll be useful, no don't kill any, but if you do find a dead one I’ll accept that, I'll be back in say..... three Earth days? I think, still getting used to the terminology”.

“Alright, one sample of wildlife, shouldn't be too hard, if I encounter it again, tomorrow nights the night so I'll call you again unless somethin' comes up or you're back” Wheeljack felt a tinge of anxiety, he hoped he wouldn't have to see it again, he was glad he left most of the mishaps out of his official record, the one he forwarded to Perceptor, only fellow science and some Med staff were allowed to see his findings, he was on the same rank as Perceptor as a head but in the Mechanical Engineering area, most of the other bots treated him like he was unranked, not out of malice but because of his approachability, often they went through him to talk to Perceptor as Percy was overly eccentric which put them off and Ratchet because Ratch was..... well Ratchet the Hatchet.

“I look forward to seeing my own lab again and participating with you on your project, I really do hope you get that sample, oh the curiosity of what this organic creature could be, or if it was already discovered seeing as the files for the sector have been returned but the previous owners made it difficult to check what creatures are on the planet, says you need sample data of wildlife to gain access to it, exciting! it might be a secret to uncover VERY EXCITING!, I gotta get back to it so Perceptor out”

Wheeljack disconnected and shut off the device, getting up and pacing around his room going over what Percy had said about the newly re-acquired sector. He figured he'd wait for Percy to return before sorting through the databases. To most non scientific bots it seemed rather strange to hide fauna behind a wall like that but it wasn't uncommon, some creatures were specifically sought out and poached, hiding made their efforts that much more difficult as they didn't know if there was any useful beings on the planet and many weren't going to risk supplies and men to find out, the sample also could be an already digitised one shared between researchers, regardless it was stupid but some places think it works. He hoped that there would be a dead creature waiting for him or something he could take back so Percy and himself could examine it and see if there was data already.

Wheeljack continued to pace before he decided he'd do some 'scouting' which he sometimes opted to do when he wanted an excuse for a long drive, the Decepticons had been quiet lately so there were more opportunities for a volunteer to help, as quiet Cons were sometimes seen as more dangerous than direct Cons, Wheeljack had assumed that they were also suffering shortages so didn't have the fire power to fight them head on, if they tried his superior weapons could take out most of them. 

With permission granted and a full tank, he sped off on the muddiest dirt road he could find as he 'scouted' a perimeter of his choosing, never encountering any Cons and making a stop to take in Earth's unique beauty, a peaceful shining blue lake filled with small organics that flew and some that swam, singing strange sounds and sometimes filled with absolute horror as he witnessed a small orange and white carnivorous mammal... a fox? devour a smaller, frailer feathered flyer and swimmer... a duck? Which let out high pitched shrieks as the larger pulled wet red and pink pieces from it's frame. He knew it was just 'nature' as the humans described, he was also aware of organics and their eating habits but he still didn't like to see the suffering slow death of being devoured alive, “this planet really is so very alien and strange, but so fascinating” Wheeljack thought to himself as he began to turn back towards the base, 'scouting' mission done and nothing to share but what he saw of the lake and the two animals, he'd need to read up on more Earth creatures when he was free, his first priority when returning was to have a nice wash down.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cat has no actual schedule, Cat's cannot understand them, Cat would be grateful for feedback.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some unapologetic, self satisfying mutually consensual tipsy smutty interfacing because Cat can and these bots needed it.

Ratchet was approaching the final half hour of his shift only to realise that he hadn't started the paperwork yet, which he would have gotten done if Ironhide hadn't managed to injure himself mucking around with Warpath who shot a missile near him, luckily for Ironhide it was a low powered one that only managed to blow off a leg and an arm that could be soldered back on with a few attachments but the way he damaged it made it time consuming, which led to his schedule being delayed, as usual.

He then spent the final half an hour trying to fill in data on his pad and Ironhide's damage report as quickly as he could, information about what stock he used, what medicines he mixed, what supplies they needed for his instruments and for the medicines, his scheduled appointments were also updated. Most bots didn't necessarily like to see him, while his expertise and efficiency helped make him desirably, it was mostly because of his availability as First Aid was always out and about assisting humans due to alliances, when he was around, which was very rarely recently, Ratchet had much more free time and could focus on mixing medicines or researching new formulas instead of fixing and seeing clients who quivered before him.

Ratchet realised he had gone overtime but hadn't finished his reports just yet “3...2...1..” and on cue.

“Ratch are ya done yet, I'm nice and washed and I even waxed my paint job, I'm all shiny now” Wheeljack mewled through their private channel, sending waves of pleasure through their sparkbond, Ratchet's fans whirred hard as he felt his frame start to fire up in response.

“OH I hear that, mmm, I'm waitin' for ya, better hurry or yer won't get any tonight, I'll already be sated on my own” Wheeljack mewled and sent another pulse through their bond that tickled his spark, causing him to lean against the desk.

“Frag it Jackie, I just got a few hundred words left, then I'll be right there” Ratchet's vocal processor was raspy and filled with haze, it'd been too long since he felt the pulses, it embarrassed him how easily he fell before his bond.

“ Awww, Ratch, ya really don't want it do ya, guess I'll start on myself, mmm” Wheeljack teased, Ratchet could hear his fans loud through the channel”

“I....I, Jackie I'm on my way” Ratchet barely held onto his composure as he finally turned off the pad, locked the doors and rushed through the hallway, with Wheeljack revving his engine, moaning and teasing through the channel giving the occasional pulse, a short walk from the Medbay to his berth felt longer than it should have and glaring curious eyes of fellow onlookers made him weary.

When Ratchet opened the door it was with more force than he meant to and luckily he didn't damage it, but if he did, he wouldn't have cared and would let Wheeljack frag him infront of the whole crew he was that revved. He saw Wheeljack drinking a swig of engex from the lower cabinet, then fill a glass up.

“Mmph heya, now get on the berth” Wheeljack demanded and Ratchet obliged.

“Are ya revved enough, cos I know I am, oh and the twins gave us this nice gift, said we should frag more and frag more we are” Wheeljack chuckled handing the nearly overflowed glass to Ratchet, it was probably more than he needed but he knew he wanted it, they had been preparing for a while but never had the energy till now.

“Ok, drink up, that's an order” Ratchet loved when Wheeljack bossed him around, nobody else ever had the bearings to talk back to him, even Optimus Prime himself mitigated damage to avoid the wrath of the Hatchet and hated confrontation if it could be avoided, Ratchet knew that and often played it to his advantage.

Ratchet finished off the glass and took his position on the berth, sitting on his aft and spreading his pedes as far as his body allowed. Wheeljack crawled towards him, opened his faceguard and planted tender kisses against the side of his helm, cupping his chin with a servo, slowly working to oil him up to plant them against his denta, he stopped.

“You're allowed to talk now, I take it some idiot injured himself and ya had to stay a lil longer to finish” Wheeljack stared intently into his bond's optics.

“Ironhide, yes, Warpath and him being themselves, blew off an arm and a leg, had to rebuild some of it” Ratchet had trouble speaking, the sight of Jackie so close always made his frame go soft, he loved his smile, his beautiful damaged smile, it was just as lovely now as it was before the accident.

“ HAHAHAAA, that's Hide n Path for ya” 

“ Yeah, I should be given more rations for dealing with those two idiots, Jackie can I request one thing of you before we start”.

“Sure, but just this one”.

“Smile for me, you know the one” Ratchet asked, he himself smiling for Wheeljack to see, it was rare for both bots to give a genuine smile that didn't come across as forced, snarky or maniacal looking, that was one of the things they had in common. 

Wheeljack did deliver and gave his genuine smile, the one Ratchet fell for all those millennia ago and still loved to see.

“Primus, you're so beautiful Jackie” 

Wheeljack replied to that statement by passionately kissing his lips, his glossa slipping in and meeting with Ratchet's as they swirled and danced together, each bot moving their glossa perfectly against the other almost as if it was choreographed. Wheeljack then placed a servo on Ratchets chassis and pushed him down, getting himself into position to grind his hips into Ratchets as he traced his other servo downwards.

Wheeljack rested his servo on Ratchet's abdomen, pulled away and asked shakily “Do you want this Ratch? I mean after all the drama I caused?” 

“ Jackie, I've been wanting this for too damn long, please, just FRAG ME already” Ratchet said huskily, static in his vocaliser.

At that, Wheeljack nipped at his lower jaw, working his way to neck cables playfully nipping lightly at them making Ratchet moan softly, a servo gently caressing his codpiece and the other lightly tracing his chassis, Ratchet reached out towards one of Wheeljack's sensitive winglets and rubbed at it, causing it to oscillate in his hand and him to release a high mewl in response to his touch.

“You always know how to handle them, huh Ratch, but the other will get jealous if you don't give it any attention in future” Wheeljack purred feeling the tender touches at his sensitive winglet.

Ratchet then shoved his other servo between Wheeljacks denta, Wheeljack taking it in and sucking as if they were a spike causing Ratchet to moan louder and his engines and fans to whir. 

“Jackie... Jackie...please, oh I want you” Ratchet could hardly make out words between moans as he opened his codpiece, revealing his colourful orange/red and white valve, blue and red lights accentuated around it to welcome any spike inside, it was already moist dripping with fluid ready for Wheeljack to take him as far back as when he was filling data, he collapsed even further under Wheeljack as he felt his servo enter deeper into his bond's mouth being sucked and licked in the process, Primus he could fit so much in there...

“ Oh, already presentin' are we? Ratchet you really are hungry for my spike tonight” Wheeljack teased, after pushing out Ratchet's servo and placing his helm between his thighs.

“but I'm certain I can make ya' wetter and I refuse to spike you' till ya start moanin' my name a lil harder” Wheeljack mewled out then began lapping at Ratchet's valve and sucking at his anterior node, causing a loud cry to emit from his bond's mouth as arousal was beginning to catch him.

“J..Ja...Jackie, please, please, I want you to fill me” Ratchet could hardly speak the words he wanted, it felt so good, so damn good after not having this for too long, his valve yearned to be filled with his bond's spike.

Wheeljack stopped to talk “Filled with what huh?” Wheeljack made sure that Ratchet could see his cheeky aft smile before he plunged his glossa deep inside causing Ratchet to jump at it's sudden immersion and whimper as it explored his deep” 

“Mmmph, FR....FRA......FRAG IT, WHEELJACK, YOU'RE SO GOOD!” Ratchet could feel his composure completely shattering, the feeling of his bonds long thin gloss within his depths and the texture of his scarred mouth rubbing at his valve lips brought him close to meltdown, fans worked harder and engine revving louder in response and his now free servo caught Wheeljack's other winglet which also oscillated in response to stimuli, no longer jealous over it's twin's attention. Ratchet began stroking and pumping at them like he'd do his own spike when he needed to release, causing Wheeljack's fans and engine to rev up and a moan to be felt by Ratchet's valve.

“Wheeljack....I want your spike, please, please, I want it, I want it oohh ah ahh ahhhh” Ratchet pleaded, he pleaded like he'd never been spiked before, whimpering and begging, finally shattered by his own need to be fragged senseless.

Wheeljack pulled himself from his bonds thighs, lips and denta covered with liquid, licking at it like it was sweet energon wine he need not want to waste and making sure Ratchet saw him do it. “Oh, if you ask like that, I’ll oblige, but on one condition” He reached under the berth and pulled out a ring clamp, one that would stop Ratchet's spike from expelling fluid.

“Mmmmph, yes, oh yes please, Jackie mmmmph Jackie please, spike me” Ratchet was too far gone into his eventual overload he'd agree to anything at this point, even being sparked if it meant he could get off, it really had been far too long for him.

Wheeljack slipped the piece over his bond's now exposed large orange/red and white thick spike taking in it's decorated lighting which was similar to his valve, both a remnant of his party days of course, then took his own highly decorated one out, a shiny red, green and white colouring with blue accentuated lighting plunging it agonisingly slowly into Ratchet's overly ornate valve, Ratchet letting out soft moans as it was buried slowly, so slowly deeper until he finally hit his hilt.

Ratchet felt Wheeljack start to thrust in a slow motion making sure to try and hit all his sensitive insides, Ratchet received each with a breathy moan he couldn't contain, swearing under his fans as he felt each thrust send a powerful shock wave though his body, bucking and riding his bonds set motion, continuing to pump at his winglets and watching Wheeljack's finials flash a brilliant blue in response to every thrust he made into him.

“OH, OHHH RATCHET, it feels so nice...... so nice to finally be the one... oh it's been far too long since this huh, you always look so fragging sexy when you take it, with ya' mouth lolled open, sometimes ya drool yer know” Wheeljack chuckled, fastening his pace smiling down, finials flashing longer.

“Oh, OH, r...re, really now? When you take it you whine like a 'bitch in heat' as the humans would put it, ...OH. Jackie, I'm, I'm close....OH” Ratchet retorted through deep intakes of air though his fans, smiling back, foam appearing in the corner of his mouth as he felt Wheeljacks spike spasm inside him, in preparing for release, Ratchet felt his sirens being powered up and began to flash light he tried to keep them quiet, it happened sometimes when his valve was heavily stimulated, he wanted them to not go off but dammit he couldn't stop them.

“Oh, mmmm, yeah but.... you love it when I whine, always makes ya go faster....frag yer good, I...I think... I think I'm......OH FRAG IT, YEESSS” Wheeljack overloaded, hard letting out a loud scream as he did, finials glowing so brilliantly blue as he rode it out, Ratchet followed shortly after but only releasing from his valve, his sirens blared a loud approval at that and continued hitting his second valve only overload with Wheeljack trying his best to keep going riding his own, Ratchet felt his bond slowing down but he still managed to hit his third overload, sirens screaming faster and louder when he hit it then lowering in volume to silent as he felt his bond's thrusting weaken and the high dye down. Wheeljack removed himself and crawled up ontop of his bond, getting into a position to slowly lower himself onto Ratchet's spike, after packing away the device of course.

“haaa, haaaa, haha, haahahaahaaa yer sirens blared, the whole damn ship probably heard ya an' they know it's me, yer so fraggin sexy, my valve's turn now an' if ya' overload too fast I'm gonna be mad at cha'” Wheeljack huffed and laughed through waves of pleasure wearing his signature grin.

“I'll hold on as long as I can, frag I'm a mess” Ratchet was overcome with pleasure and slight embarrassment he hoped nobody heard, if any bot knew how he was acting now, his reputation...... he also hoped his spike would cooperate, but sometimes it had a mind of his own.

Wheeljack felt Ratchet's grip change as he took hold of his winglets at the base like they were bars, he positioned himself and slowly lowered himself onto his bond's spike, his own ornate valve moist and ready to receive the massive length and girth, every time he lowered, he pulled back up making Ratchet squirm all the more, his spike thick and pulsing, ready for overload, it looked as angry as he was when he was in a bad mood, continuing until he finally allowed it's massive length and girth to enter his valve, filling it so beautifully and squeezing down to say who's in control, Ratchet let out a loud moan in approval.

“Oh, I've missed you too, don't worry” Wheeljack said as he took it all in, prompting a light snicker from Ratchet in response.

Wheeljack, ontop, rode it slowly, ever so slightly gradually increasing his speed, quickening his pace as he heard his bond moan, louder and louder, he lifted himself up and down every now and again, losing himself in the moment.

Ratchet's spike had found Wheeljack's internal nodes, and he quickened his pace as he chased his overload, increasing in intake from his fans moaning and whining in response, Ratchet was also thrusting and joining in with his bond's song, his spike twitched, both bots were approaching overload and did so at almost the same time, their screams forming a duet as pleasure claimed them and they rode out their pulses gradually slowing to a halt high on the pleasure they received, fans dying down and lights flashing in response.

“Oh, that was too good, Ratchet, yer so fraggin' good” Wheeljack said, still high from overload. Ratchet opened his chassis, revealing his shining blue spark that lit the room, it pulsed and shifted. 

“Jackie, one more thing, please, I want us to be one for a while” Ratchet pleaded so desperately, he had hardly any energy left, but he wanted to bond, he wanted to feel one again, it's been even longer since they melded, he wanted to feel him from every aspect.

Wheeljack responded by opening his own chassis, revealing his spark.

“I missed this too, then after we can clean up huh” 

Ratchet wrapped his servos around Wheeljack small slim frame, hiking him up into a more comfortable position in his lap and lifting him up towards his exposed spark, Wheeljack responded by mimicking Ratchet, hugging him close and pushing his spark to his, spark chambers slowly opening more and merging two halves to one whole.

Two bots became as one, no longer were they separate, they thought as one, sharing ideas, memories, dreams, thoughts and feelings felt, and all the moments of their recent days and nights, they conversed in a way that words couldn't describe all while a rush of pleasure filled their frames, it really had been too long for both of them, while melded, it felt as if all confusion stopped and the universe suddenly made sense, everything felt so right for once and they were the only thing that mattered, all within moments becoming a single entity.

The two bots had no idea how long their spark meld lasted, it didn't matter the time and no bot usually ever actually timed their meld, they also never wanted to be apart during one, it was difficult to end but it never felt sudden when it did. They both eventually cleaned themselves and their berth up, feeling much happier for the night. They then took their places beside each other, hugging close. 

“I hope tomorrow goes well for you Jackie”. Ratchet said, in a cheerful voice no other Autobot had probably ever heard, not for a millennia. 

“I hope so too, tonight was good, we left things far too long didn't we?” Wheeljack retorted, sounding content.

“We really did, everyone's so busy, such is the life of team Prime huh? ” Ratchet reached one servo for Wheeljack's face, the other wrapping around his lovely thin waist to pull him closer.

“I got a big day tomorrow and this is what we both needed” Wheeljack closed his optics, the smaller mech totally exhausted from the day Ratchet witnessed in the meld.

“Rest well, I love you” Ratchet kissed Wheeljack and then drifted into recharge, also exhausted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ratchet certainly needed that.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING!!!  
> This chapter has detailed tentacle rape and forced unwanted orgasms as well as other body things a little after halfway through.

When Wheeljack onlined, all he could see was Ratchet still in recharge, which is a highly unusual sight for Wheeljack, Ratchet was always up before him, unfortunately the moment lasted barely a few seconds as he twitched and opened glowing blue optics.

“Mornin' gorgeous, guess who's probably gonna be the talk amongst the twins fer today” Wheeljack teased while watching Ratchet's expression change from his 'just woke up' snarl to 'just woke up and now I realise I gotta deal with this slag' as a servo covered his face.

“ Oh, it's me isn't it, slagging sirens, I'm sick of them but Optimus can't allow them to go no matter how many times I ask him, says they're 'uniform' hmph” Ratchet complained like he always did and certainly wasn't looking forward to the twins, his scowl could probably scare them off so they would go bother Jackie instead.

“Uhhh Ratchet, you know yer the only bot outfitted with sirens that blares them when he gets his valve fragged hard enough after not gettin' any for too long, the rest state they've never had a problem with theirs” Wheeljack had learned this information from multiple sources and one of them was that time Prime broke down their door thinking Ratchet was in trouble, which was hilarious for Wheeljack and mortifying for Ratchet who tried to insist that everyone has this problem and a tired, awkward and even more mortified Optimus telling him that certainly wasn't the case and literally no other bot at the base has this problem, Prime wished he'd never been gifted that information but with it they've never had an issue like that since, but the sight has hopefully been forgotten for Primes own sake. Luckily the sirens thing was very rare and soundproofing their room helps to mitigate the sound.

“I know I am and those damn twins know too, how are they aware of everything that happens in this ship it's annoying but...somewhat admirable I'll admit, they give Prowl a run for being most nosy.....huh? It's 10:30am, we both stayed in recharge for too long, forgot to set chronometers” Ratchet said, annoyed at his own inorder.

“Ahh it's fine, say, lets check out some of that Earth media, it's always entertaining, we got all mornin before your shift and my test and it technically falls under research of Earth culture right? Well according to Jazz anyway, sides we've been needin' a lazy day errr morning with each other fer too long” Wheeljack laughed, reaching underneath their berth to pull out their shared morning energon he had stashed away and cuddled up close to Ratchet.

“I know you're gonna find something in that expanse but Wheeljack, please be careful, if anything... just don't be stupid ok” Ratchet said while he placed his helm onto Wheeljacks chassis, putting his arms around his waist .

“Thanks Ratch, I know what I'm doing, things will be ok” Wheeljack said partly to himself as he patted Ratchet's helm with a servo and put the other onto his back. “I hope I know what I’m doing” he thought to himself.

“So, what are we up for?” Wheeljack continued.

“I don't know, lets check and see, maybe later we can go for a drive if I don't get called in” Ratchet replied.

“Sounds like a plan, it'll help me settle down” Wheeljack replied. It took around ten minutes for them to settle for something.

 

It was around 14:00 Earth hours that Ratchet was called into medical to prepare to see a patient, which he couldn't reveal the details of as yet, four hours earlier than his schedule for the day. Wheeljack expected as much, Ratchet was always on call and sometimes he wasn't allowed to speak about certain conditions depending on the severity, during their bonding Wheeljack never actively pried into his patients information, It was sealed away anyway, though Ratchet did sometimes share very old stories, nameless ones he'd encountered or scuffs that the other bots got themselves into around the base.

Wheeljack himself was often busy, sometimes with his own projects but lately he's only had an interest in that world he discovered. When he was needed for duties he was usually called in to repair things around the base like weapons, defense and computer systems, which haven't been crashing lately as they have been upgraded and integrated pretty well for what was available, sometimes he was asked to create a new weapon or gadget, lately everything has been actually working and not breaking down or being broken by Cons, leaving him more time to himself.

Wheeljack walked out of their room shortly after Ratchet rushed off, making sure his mouthguard was working before exiting, he wandered down the hall and bumped into the twins, who had obviously been waiting for him.

“OHHHH you set his sirens off this time, musta' been a good romp last night? Did our little gift help at all?” Sunstreaker teased, proud of his little 'contribution'.

“The engex was definitely quality, Ratchet and I loved it, still got a fair amount left, sorry I was such an aft to you guys yesterday, just, under a lot of pressure right now and tonight I gotta do a test” Wheeljack said sincerely, trying not to acknowledge the first part of what was said, what he did with his bond wasn't for them to know.

“Hey, for some bots when you haven't had any interfacing for too long, you get a lil cranky and short tempered, I mean it won't fix Ratchet's mood but it did seem to fix yours, glad you finally got some face, but to make it up to us for the way we were so rudely treated yesterday, ya gotta hang for a bit, and I’m thinking of us doing a little bit of driving, you gotta teach us some of your moves, that stunt stuff you do is wild” Sideswipe replied eagerly along with a Sunstreaker chiming in a yes at the end, they were probably planning this from the start.

“I can't let you in on all of my secrets, I can't even guarantee you won't end up scrapped up, but you’re on” Wheeljack watched the two bots excitedly head outside, he guessed that the twins would try to get on his good side, they rarely did anything out of the kindness of their sparks always expecting something, but he was happy to drive with them regardless, he was already planning for one anyway to ready himself for the experiment, he really did hope it would go right.

 

They raced for about two hours, Wheeljack always enjoyed a good race, his skills netted him glory and allowed him to wind down, if he was ever unable to don his alt and feel free to zip around he would go mad, it was one of the few things that helped him blow off some exhaust. While racing, Sideswipe managed to twist an axle trying to mimic one of the famous 'Jackie twisting specials' Sunstreaker then slammed into him at full speed causing even more damage to Sideswipe and a damaged Sunstreaker to the list. 

As they all limped back to base the hilarity of the situation prevented any ill will between them, until they had to see Ratchet who just glared at his bond while the roar of laughter and “OH, Jackie's gonna get the Hatchet tonight” erupted from one of them, prompting Wheeljack to smile under his guard and head off to his lab in preparation while hoping Ratchet won't need to have a word with him later.

Wheeljack arrived in his lab fairly unnoticed and locked the door behind him, he powered up bright lights that illuminated his organised mess. None of his devices were ever on the polished white floor unless they were far too big for the desks and displays and he made painstakingly sure they were carefully placed out of the way and all equipment labelled accordingly. Despite his accident prone self, his lab was actually pretty well within the standards of Autobot WHS protocols complete with multiple fire hydrants, first aid kit, showers and decontamination, all the things he needed to keep Prowl satisfied and himself from risk of some other injury besides his little lab accidents while making his new toys. He loved his set-up and felt just as cosy in his lab than he did in his own berth.

He walked towards two drones he had put together over the two weeks since his last portal experiment, using nothing but scrap from Autobots and leftover human military drones that were generously donated to him, Wheeljack managed to get them working and program them to suck up energon from the planet without needing it themselves, he powered them on watching them fly up and buzz around him beeping as they recognised energon. 

“Not me you idiots, just..... just wait a bit” An irritated Wheeljack growled then turned a knob on both of them, he then powered up the portal and waited for it to open, as it did the two drones rushed in buzzing and chirping as they happily scouted for high quality energon. Wheeljack waited listening out for beeps and any noise. 

After around four minutes of waiting he saw the little drones merrily exit the portal carrying enough high quality energon that would fuel a bot of his size him for around a week, he grinned under his mask and inadvertently flashed his finials and shook his winglets as he was filled with excitement watching them place it down and flutter around in a circle then power off and drop to the floor, he'd have to work out the bugs later, their overly cheery attitude was very unsettling and they gave up pretty quickly. 

He then turned towards the portal and saw it, the creature, glowing blue and pink overly bulbous pulsating tentacles, some parts a dark purple, somehow it looked even more bloated and pulpy than before oozing liquid from it's putrid form struggling to make it's way through, a strong sweet scent filled the air wayfaring directly into Wheeljack's olfactory senses, overloading them with that sickly sweet smell which caused him to feel dizzy and lose his balance, pedes and legs feeling as if they are liquefying beneath him, all within the span of seconds, he then saw a snapping blur heading towards his face that smashed and ripped away his mouthguard forcing itself deep inside and shoving uncomfortably down towards his intake, the taste was sweeter than it was the first time and thicker as he felt it collect within his tank, piling and filling in far too much, it was painfully nauseatingly to be stretched beyond it's capacity, a bot was never meant to overfill a tank too much, he thought for sure it would rupture from the sheer amount but just before it might have, the tentacle pulled out wrapping itself around his helm gagging him and forcing his head against the ground, then leaving his helm, Wheeljack left with a mouth wide open leaking drool and residue from it's corners.

Wheeljack was on his back, unable to move with his tank far too full and feeling bloated, the next thing he felt was a tentacle, no two, no.... he lost count as too many started to wrap around all his limbs, closing in too tightly around them and pulling him apart, splaying him making his whole frame ache more, the liquid within him sloshing around uncomfortably in his tank, he couldn't purge it as much as he wanted to. He felt his pedes and thighs pulled apart exposing his sopping wet valve which he hadn't realised was wet until his panel opened feeling the fluids gush and flow like a river pooling around his aft, thighs and back, it was the liquid it pumped him full of, liquid to make him heavy, wet, docile, doped, sedated and....bred, disgust filled him as his frame betrayed him feeling the need for him to be filled “no, no please, please, don't” he directed at his own frame, his vocaliser wasn't responding, causing him even further dread as he couldn't cry for help. 

The creature revealed it's ugly head, appearing from a mangle of tentacles, all of which were in use, it took in the sight of his overstuffed frame and licked it's protruded jaws? mandibles? Wheeljack could hardly tell what it was through the haze in his eyes, pulling him closer, he then felt pressure pushing at his abdomen, it was incredibly uncomfortable and made his whole frame hurt and sick, he was too full to be moved or touched but it did anyway, looking down he spied two thick tentacles rubbing and caressing his abdomen, which stuck out slightly more as it shifted in reaction to his overly filled tank.

The thing kept rubbing and Wheeljack was too out of it to talk or scream or make a peep, his frame not listening to him, the next second his fans were roaring, his frame was heating up fast, the arousal that came with his valve, being.... “no, NO NO” Wheeljack felt two thin tendrils pull open his valve lips as something else entered, it didn't feel like the tentacles he'd had before, it felt pointed and swollen, it jammed itself against the entrance to his gestation chamber, pulling away and jamming again and again, Wheeljack would have screamed, but he was paralysed both by pain and overwhelming but unwanted pleasure as it's pulling away felt like thrusts of a spike deep within as it rubbed against internal and anterior nodes, all he could do was lie there and wait, lie and take whatever it wanted to give him and endure, it would eventually be all over.

The pain was immense as it then pushed through the callipers forcing them open and working it's way into his chamber, then it was pleasurable as he overloaded in response, Wheeljack winced and closed his optics at the pain? Pleasure? He wasn't sure any more the two were intertwined by the fluids in his tank messing with his receptors, another overload hit him as he felt whatever it was sweeping around his empty chamber, he heard a light snapping noise as it did and then he felt a small oval shape entering his valve, all his thoughts stopped as he realised what was happening, feeling it push it's way through and eventually against his callipers, it was twice as wide as the thing in his chamber which was just shy of being twice the size of his calliper entrance, but it was trying to enter all the same,“this can't be happening please don't be happening, this isn't happening” Wheeljack, though filled with panic, moaned as he felt a mix of immense pain and pleasure, optics tricked with liquid as it was forced through, seconds feeling like agonising minutes as it stretched the opening and entered his chamber, as it did another entered his valve and then hit his callipers again as another entered his valve, a new oval shape replaced every time one was forced in, as more entered eventually it became easier, quicker and less painful to take as the callipers stayed open, Wheeljack moaned and overloaded every time he felt a new presence greet his chamber and felt horribly sick for it every time he did, his frame continually betraying him.

Once he counted five anxiety filled him, he tried to speak but nothing came out except“Please, no more, please don't ruin my frame, my beautiful slender frame, Ratchet I’m so sorry” nothing came out, not even through their link, it was closed, he was alone with this creature, becoming a host to it's young and tricked into wanting and enjoying it, unable to move or even scream for help, locked in place he simply had to endure and focus on stopping himself from overheating, he couldn't even faint from the pain but he desperately wished he could.

Wheeljack wasn't sure how long it had been, it felt like hours of agony and delight as he continually overloaded from being filled, he'd simply been trying to count as each of the ovals as they entered, he was up to eight small ovals now and started to really feel like he was stuffed, he couldn't move his arms to touch his aching abdomen just yet, he was still held in place, ooohh nine, he wondered if it would stop, begged it to stop, ohhh ten, he thought it was going to continue till his frame burst, he couldn't see his frame from the angle but he hoped it wasn't misshapen and too swollen his frame was the only thing he liked about himself these days, ahhh eleven, he was very much aware that his optics were watering down his face and the amount of fluids from all orifices that surrounded him, he couldn't rub them or wipe it away, ahhh twelve, a dozen, he wasn't exactly excited about this but his frame told him to enjoy the fullness, “please be the end”, his abdomen ached, he wanted to purge it felt so sick, he felt so sick and filthy and wondered if his bond would still love him after this..., he wanted out and finally there was a thirteenth, fitting as humans saw that as unlucky ,which caused him to reverberate loudly as he finally felt full after receiving, becoming a carrier wasn't what he actually wanted but the liquid told him he did, it told him to enjoy the sensations, he then felt the creature pull itself out of him but not before another piece broke off inside of his chamber and he overloaded yet again and felt absolutely disgusted by it, disgusted by the fact that this act had brought him so many and furious about his frame's own betrayal.

Wheeljack was on the floor, the creature lovingly caressed his abdomen, feeling for it's eggs, it purred then made a slight pained screech, finally it pulled away and then it stopped moving going limp, he noticed the portal had closed which meant he must have been there for a while, he also felt very overheated and knew he needed coolant, he tried to push himself up but his frame felt heavy, there was still an uncomfortable amount of that thick liquid in his tank that helped to keep him down and overheating certainly didn't help, he then focused the last of his energy to Ratchet for assistance and told him to bring coolant, some cleaning supplies, told him not be disgusted or mad and that he was sorry, so so sorry.

The substance making him feel heavy hadn't worn off yet, he could hardly think straight and everything felt fake, unreal, hot and in pain. He then touched a servo to his sore swollen overstuffed abdomen realising in horror how real the situation was, he then tilted his head as much as his energy allowed and peaked down, it was looking as if he had drunk far too much energon, some of the plating which usually overlapped tightly appeared to have a larger gap and there was a slight bulge bigger than when he first looked. 

The ovals in his gestation chamber will be destroyed by his defenses right? They can't possibly be able to continue developing inside him right? 

His gestation chamber was meant for Ratchet's sparklings if they were ever allowed to, not for monster spawn, he'd wished it was a sparkling instead even if it meant he'd get in trouble as the rules didn't allow it, it would still be much better than this.

It's fine, Ratchet can take care of this, this is fine, everything is fine, he stayed on the floor trying desperately to keep his frame from cooking itself while he waited for Ratchet to bring coolant he needed, his Ratchet who would fix everything, he then brought his servos to his face and sobbed, no longer able to prevent intense emotions as thoughts began to swirl and disgust, disappointment and hopelessness overtook him. He hoped his Ratchet would forgive him, all he wanted was to be held in his servos and cleaned....he wanted desperately to be scrubbed and cleaned, he felt a light tap through his bond and a click at the door, he rubbed away fluids from his face and regained himself... for now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things are starting to actually happen now, also don't know how to do italics for thoughts Cat admits.


	6. Chapter 6

Ratchet wasn't too happy about the early call to work, he was actually enjoying the show they were watching, it had an odd premise that somehow balanced hilarity with serious moments so well. He enjoyed watching human shows and movies with Wheeljack in his downtime, their favourites were usually sci fi and sci fi horror, but they watched numerous genres depending on the premise or suggestions but if it was particularly bad, uninteresting or worse of all, scientifically inaccurate in a stupid way, they’d tear it apart.  
Wheeljack and himself always pointed out the scientific inaccuracies, using them to test their knowledge and laugh at the sheer incompetence and myths that they spread, Wheeljack got particularly heated over just about anything, his knowledge of sciences always fascinated Ratchet, he knew about things he never even majored in and he loved watching his bond get passionate. 

The person who ruined their afternoon was Optimus Prime, who had an emergency with the matrix which overloaded his spark while he was prying into it. It happened sometimes due to the nature of the relic, the shocks were never life threatening but Ratchet knew that Prime liked to check in anyway with him, he always had something new to share or used it to try and counsel him while he was cornered for half an hour or so while treating him.

After Ratchet was done with his scans, Prime requested to see him for an appointment, which Ratchet begrudgingly accepted, he was on the clock now.

“The scans say your spark is fine but you shouldn't be pushing the matrix too hard, I know you want to understand it but it's temperamental and has a reason for short circuiting you” Ratchet always felt like he was repeating himself with Prime, he'd said the same spiel every time and every time he never listened and was probably going to bring up the same excuse he's been using for all the time he's had it.

“I know Ratchet, but there must be answers, there must be a way for this war to end peacefully, a way to get Cybertron to function again, to repair the damage that our race has caused to it...” Prime replied sullenly, only Ratchet and Jazz saw this side of him, he often tried to act like he knew what to do, where to go, be the leader the rest of the crew believed him to be, placing that pressure on himself, a weight that crushed him and a façade that crumbled but only behind closed doors.

“Just watch out next time, you're more valuable than you think you are and I don't want to see you in here being headstrong with something that no Cybertronian has scratched the surface of yet, ease yourself into it and don't dig too deep, if it means I lose my old friend....Optimus... please be careful” Ratchet said, staring into his friends optics, burning his words into them as politely as he was able, at his gaze Optimus shrunk and looked away, it was a promise he could not make.

“.......Also, you have to make an appointment with me sometime next week to replace your 'bolt', it runs out in two but it's good to catch it early, I know you're not one for interfacing but regulations are regulations” Ratchet continued, breaking silence and changing momentum as he scanned his information.

“Ok, we'll schedule it in five days same time, is that fine?” Prime responded, no longer intimidated.

“I'll be on, no problems, got plenty of time anyway” Ratchet noted it down.

“I can always count on you to keep up... I'm trying to negotiate with the humans to let us have First Aid back so you can get some rest and Perceptor should be back tomorrow, I know they're the only ones you can stand to help, you have issues with everyone else. It'll give you and Wheeljack more....off time” Optimus replied, ever the caring leader.

“Thank you, Aid is good and Percy can also assist, you know me to well, you're free to go.” Ratchet replied, optics still focused on his pad.

“I hope that Wheeljack's experiment yields us something good, I know how much he hates the low grade but it can't be helped” Optimus chimed in as he was getting up to leave.

“It's not that he hates it because of the taste, he hates it because his body doesn't process it properly and I have to filter out the gunk from his system if he forgets to filter it himself or if it's particularly bad, he's highly sensitive because of his speciality” Ratchet replied monotonously, Prime nodded turning, obviously needed elsewhere.

Ratchet felt a little grouchier than usual at this point and was very aware of it, he could be driving with his bond instead of lecturing Prime, as much as he enjoyed conversing with his old friend and felt honoured by his care, he really wished he'd leave it alone instead.

Ratchet looked up from his pad again for a quick scan of the area then checked back to the pad to see when he and Wheeljack were due for their own 'bolt' renewals. “next month” Ratchet logged in a date for them both, he really needed to stay on top of his forgetful bonds and his own as well as a few of the other more prone to interfacing and forgetting to check themselves bots, can't have anyone getting sparked in the middle of an energon shortage especially in the midst of a war over said shortage.

Ratchet then spent the next two and a half hours categorising, organising and sterilising the Medical bays, making sure that each room was in working order and clean, very very clean. He knew each would be as he always did, every time, more than any regulation or guideline suggested. Everything had to be spotless, perfect, ordered, if something went terribly terribly wrong and things weren't ordered, precious milliseconds would be wasted.

Just when he finished and was worried he'd have nothing to do for the rest of his shift, a flash of red and yellow appeared limping and laughing side by side with his bond trailing behind them. He glared at his bond who smiled under his guard but just when Ratchet was going to ask him what happened, he was gone.

“Wheeljack's gonna get the Hatchet tonight isn't he?” Two voices chanted in unison.

“What did you idiots manage to do to yourselves this time?” Ratchet replied, checking Sunstreaker first who damaged his pedes and sides slightly in the crash.

“Wheeljack was trying to show off his stunt driving” Sunstreaker said, wincing as the welder ruined his glorious paint job.

“We tried to copy him, but.... I messed up and spun my axle, then this idiot barged into me” Sideswipe said, giving Sunstreaker a glare.

“It's your fault in the first place” Sunstreaker replied, moving his now repaired legs and pedes, he'd have to fix his own paint, nobody else could get it right.

“NAA, IT'S TOTALLY YOURS, YOU SHOULD HAVE SLOWED DOWN FASTER OR SWIRVED” Sideswipe's bellowing nearly burst Ratchet's audible processors as he bent down to check on Sideswipe's axle.

“SHUT UP, who cares who started what, you're both here now and that's what counts and if you're gonna fight, take it out of the Med and into the yard” Ratchet replied, repositioning and repairing the twisted axle, hearing a pained squeak emit from Sideswipe in response.

“It was Wheeljack's fault” both twins exclaimed.

“No, it wasn't, you know he's a maniac on the road and has been doing it for aeons, you knew you were gonna get hurt trying so why copy him? Now get out you're all fixed” Ratchet replied, he knew the twins refused to take responsibility. He watched them get up and walk towards the exit in unison.

“Ok but......SIRENS!” both bots screamed before running out to avoid having a wench thrown at them and risk damaging their paint jobs. Ratchet really wished he had better rations for dealing with them, but at least they made his afternoon less boring, he guessed he should have probably gone easier on them for the engex, but he was in no mood to deal with their yelling and arguing.

Fixing the twins certainly didn't take long at all and left him time to fill out their files. Having done everything he needed to do for the day already, he went into standby, anxiously waiting for his bond to tell him that his experiment went well and a high yield of energon had been obtained, but he knew his luck and made sure supplies were readily available if something went awry.

It was just after 19:00 when he felt a deep pulse shake his spark through his bond, a forceful one screaming at him to bring coolant while numerous apologies followed, which was unusual for his bond, Ratchet then came to the realisation that the experiment had gone wrong, terribly wrong.

He grabbed the coolant and rushed off attempting to send soothing pulses that failed to be felt, Ratchet himself felt grief and disgust flow through his frame, liquid pooling in his optics feeling the full force of his bonds out of control emotions smashing at his processor, he was so far off the rails that nothing he sent could get through to him, soothing pulses fell flat, attempts to communicate not heard. “Jackie what in the pits of Kaon happened”.

When he reached the door he sent a powerful pulse into his bond, he then unlocked the door slowly, checking around to make sure there was no danger. The air hitting his olfactory sensors smelt faintly sweet and intoxicating, he scanned around more trying to search but still couldn't see his bond. He saw numerous fluids of varying degrees of purples, blues, pinks and reds all over the usually polished white floors of his lab, he then spied what looked to be the creature that had attacked them two weeks before. Besides being obviously dead, something was different about it, the thing was overly bloated and pulpy, there was red liquid all around the regions between the tentacles which appeared more purple and puffy than it was compared to his first encounter, the red liquid suggested it breathed oxygen and that it bled to death, the sight of the putrid beast nearly made Ratchet purge his tank, retching and gagging at it's horrid sight. Ratchet then prepared to move it to cryo storage for analysis but.....WHEELJACK!.

Ratchet wasn't prepared for the mess that was concealed behind the dead creature, no amount of preparation could have made him able to stomach what had happened to his bond. The usual beautiful, lustrous white paint was no longer visible, nor were his signature red and green stripes, only the purples, blues, pinks and red secretions from the creature.... perhaps even his own. Ratchet stared in horror slowly analysing the broken mess that laid before him, beginning at his twisted pedes, to his thighs pulled right open for entrance to his valve which was on display, all colours of the beast's and his own but most notably red leaked profusely from it. To his servos clutched tightly and rubbing at his slightly swollen abdomen and finally to his face, which leaked fluids from his optics and his guard completely ripped off to reveal a wide gaping mouth also leaking fluids. Wheeljack's entire frame heaved as he desperately tried to filter heat, in shock from all that was endured. 

Ratchet dared not ask him, he tried not to think of what happened, he tried even harder not to break, trying to keep calm and stoic to prevent his bond from worrying further, he could break later, but now was not the time.

“Ra....Raat...... I..I” Wheeljack tried to speak but Ratchet shushed him, sticking a needle beneath plates on his arm directly into a line and manually squeezing the fluid into him, he would definitely need more, but this will do till he can get him back to Medbay, definitely to one of the back rooms.

“Don't talk, don't.... I need you to be quiet” Ratchet continued to squeeze the coolant, waiting for his local analyser to tell him what was wrong.

“analysis complete, subject is rapidly overheating, severe damage to pedes, twisted, subject is in excruciating pain, apply pain deterrent” It said to him “I know that!” He thought, the analyser hearing him replied.

“Subject has dangerously overfilled tank, suggestions, move with extreme caution or a rupture could happen, subject has foreign organic substances within gestational chamber, origins not synchronised, unknown, unknown, suggestions, unknown. Immediate transport to emergency needed” The analysis was complete, Ratchet was also aware of immediate transport, why they designed them to point out the obvious was beyond him.

Ratchet knew the correct way to deal with an overfilled tank, but the revelation of 'foreign substances' in his bond's chamber made him boil with rage and confusion, what it could mean.... Ratchet dared not think about it at the moment. He squeezed the last of the coolant into him, chilling his system to a more manageable level for transport he then heard Wheeljack muttering and begging to be taken into decontamination.

Ratchet could obviously see that he was in no shape to stand so he carefully picked him up in a way to avoid upsetting the tank noting that he felt much heavier than his usual self which Ratchet chalked up to whatever that thing did to him. He walked with as little sway as he could to the decontamination showers and stood in with him, feeling the jets pressure heated water at him, he knew it would heat up his bond, but he also knew his bond needed to be cleaned of the substances, he couldn't imagine the feeling of filth his poor frame felt, being..... Ratchet pushed the thought out of his processor making sure his bond's valve was cleansed of all fluids and closed up. 

When he was done he powered everything down, making sure to lock the lab so nobody could enter, he'd have to deal the carcass tomorrow, for now he lowered the thermostat for preservation. He needed to make sure his bond would survive, the analyser screaming at him to take him to emergency, which he was already aware of, he rushed carefully down the silent halls, hugging his small frail figure tight but not enough to damage him while he made anguished sounds and light noises as he attempted to speak, Ratchet again told him not to and clutched him close.


	7. Chapter 7

Ratchet barged through push doors and barrelled his way into the farthest back emergency room carefully placing his bond onto the operating table slightly adjusting it so that he was in a slight sitting condition. Acting as if on instinct as he attached spark monitoring systems and a steady flow of coolant and heavy painkillers through an IV, cooling his frame was first priority, overheating was slow and incredibly painful for a bot, to his bond..... He listened to his spark which pulsed faintly but steadily, the sensation bearing in his own and as he cooled it reacted by pulsing strong again, the sound and feeling resonated through Ratchet, calming him but there was still more to be done.

Secondly was to pump a small amount of his fuel tank to remove some of the liquid that stretched it far too much so that he could analyse it, pushing tubes carefully down his intake so as to make the sensation as painless and comfortable as was able but it still didn't stop him from gagging slightly and having optics water as it trailed down. Ratchet removed enough of the liquid to get a good sample, the consistency was much thicker than he expected it to be and made the process longer than usual.

His next step was to readjust his bond's pedes, the 'foreign substance' in his chamber wasn't bothering him currently and he was sending a spark signal to fix them because the painkillers were taking their sweet aft time and he really didn't like seeing them like that. Ratchet carefully readjusted them, painkillers taking effect just before he did, twisting them back into place and carefully massaging the lines to get energon flowing through them as there was a slight blockage due to the way of the twist.

“Thanks Ratch......this dream is so weird, what the slag kinda drugs am I on anyway?, everything feels so unusual, did I blow myself up again?, hey check that sludgey stuff, It's for science! This is all for science!” Wheeljack couldn't talk through the tubes shoved in his intake, he tried to but it came out as slurred, opting to shoot it directly into their spark link along with some of the haze from the painkillers which would hopefully knock him out soon. 

Ratchet knew he couldn't communicate with him on the heavy stuff, he obliged to check the 'sludgey stuff' out and prepare a sample for the centrifuge, he'd need Perceptor's help in a full analysis but breaking it's components down would certainly help. When he picked up the sample he realised it was heavier than usual and must be quite dense, which explained why his bond felt like he swallowed weights as opposed to the lightweight mech he could, and certainly has, easily tossed around. It was very peculiar. 

Wheeljack kept trying to send signals to Ratchet which came out utter nonsense, stuff like “It's all for the name of science” and quotes from human things they'd watched together, he was glad his bond was hardly together considering what had happened and what pain he'd be in if he was.

“why do I feel so full ugh am I sparked? Are we, Ratchet I want sparklings? But that's entirely illegal we're not allowed to.... ugh these tubes are so icky take them out!, oh and that sludgey stuff makes you feel super whack too, try some Ratchet, trrryy iiit, try it for SCIENCE!” There he went again and Ratchet didn't know how to respond, but he was glad he wasn't thinking about what happened, Ratchet would have to wait till tomorrow but in the mean time he decided to entertain his bond's chatter as he obliged and took the tubes out, making sure it was fine to do so first.

“Jackie I want your sparklings too but we have to wait till after the war but please, please go to recharge you're higher than the clouds and you need to rest up so you can do science tomorrow” Ratchet replied.

“You'd look and act real funny if you were sparked, be worth the sight but you'd yell at me for it hahaha, seeing you get all ungainly an round, the whole damn place would know it was me!”   
Wheeljack exercised his regained ability to speak and refused to listen to a tired Ratchet, who was preparing the scanner to see what the 'foreign organic substance' in his chamber was, he had a vague idea of what it could be, but he really hoped it wouldn't be.   
Ratchet tried not to think of the reactions of the crew if he was sparked, seeing his usually ferocious features soften, the difficulty of performing his daily tasks with a small frame growing within and the twins..... oh the twins, he saw Wheeljack smirk as he realised that Ratchet entertained the thought and laughed, Ratchet was glad he had temporarily forgotten what had happened, but he knew it would all be back tomorrow.

“You're forgetting that we have the possibility of being sparked at the same time too, and also the fact that some symptoms can appear on both bots albeit minimalised, the one who isn't sparked can still also get energon retention....” Ratchet replied as he hovered the device over his bond's swollen abdomen, it was only slightly noticeable but he had grown so accustomed to it's shape over the millennia it definitely did...stick out...

“So even if I’m sparked ya still lose hahahaha” Wheeljack teased, Ratchet coming to realisation that if the 'organic substance' was what he thought it was, if it stuck and grew.... it could trick Wheeljack's frame into thinking he's carrying or make changes inside and that would also mean trouble for himself which also meant trouble for Prime if First Aid couldn't help. He'd need to do more analysis to legitimise his hypothesis, he'd need Perceptor's help and the help of his bond when he wasn't drugged of course, in this state he was.... unhelpful but entertaining at least, melting the tense atmosphere, his bond usually made light of serious situations but his drugged self was even better at it than his sober self.

“Why ya look so serious Ratch, I'm fine now aren't I? It was just a weird dream right? I just blew myself up and overheated my frame doin so right?” Wheeljack looked worried but he was finally starting to drift into recharge.

“I'll see you in the morning, I love you so much Jackie, no matter what I'll love you with all my spark and I'll be with you till the allspark claims us both” Ratchet replied, electing not to answer the question as he placed his forehelm against Wheeljack's, feeling the slow ex vent hit him, a calming and soothing sensation, nuzzling and exchanging soft pulses and rubbing his field against Wheeljack's erratic one, he really was 'off with the fairies” as the human saying goes.

“I.....love you too... so much.....you do so much for me....I'm so lucky...” And finally his bond drifted into recharge and Ratchet could begin his analysis uninterrupted.

Placing a light kiss on his bond's scars he pulled away and turned on the scanner, working to adjust it to get a good sight of just what was inside. Ratchet cupped a servo over his mouth as he felt energon rise up his intake, swallowing it to keep it down as he saw what appeared to be a clutch of what he counted to be thirteen eggs all stuffed inside, connected to each other and to two strange organic sacks which were within Wheeljack's gestation chamber. One of the sacks looked as if it was comfortably connected to multiple lines and was slowly spreading further, Ratchet's hypothesis was correct, it looked as if it had tricked his frame into thinking the brood was a developing frame, spreading in a similar way that lines would connect to create a frame for a spark all while feeding on the strange substance that was in his tank and the energon in his body as they greedily sucked in more than their fair share.

Ratchet's first thought was to destroy them, he wanted desperately to do so, he would have done so immediately if he had not noticed that the possibility would be destroying his bond too. He knew how to remove a developing frame, he'd done so many times, he'd even removed organic substances, but he had never removed an organic substance so interconnected before and he had also heard of some organic beasts leaving poisons behind if they were to do so. 

Ratchet knew that at this point he would need Perceptor's expertise, he'd need to know where to look, he'd need a sample from the beast, he couldn't do this alone, it was too much, everything was too much, all he could do for tonight was take snaps from the machine, let the centrifuge work and wait for Perceptor to return, thank Primus Wheeljack timed his experiment for Perceptors return. 

Ratchet put on another bag of coolant then sat beside his bond, taking a servo within his own and carefully rubbing it between them. This was the first time in so so many millennia he was lost, unable to find an answer, unable to help, and the one he couldn't help was the most important mech he had.

Ratchet was silent and uncomfortably still. He said nothing, did nothing, just stared blankly, venting heat occasionally, his mind screaming at him for being useless, a lousy CMO he was, being unable to help the mech he was bonded to. No answers could be found, fluid ran from his optics but he did not feel it until a light dripping sound echoed through the silent theatre between the sounds of light venting it was louder in his processor than it actually was, the wet sensation.....from his own emotions.....he'd forgotten what it felt like. 

 

Primus knew what time and how Ratchet drifted into recharge himself, but he powered on to see his bond still recharging, so peacefully recharging, bag of coolant still partially filled, if it was empty it would have woken him. Ratchet felt the alien wetness along his face and chassis and wiped it away with a clean cloth, he then stared at his bond's face, his beautiful sharp features looked so peaceful in recharge, he needed his peace right now. Ratchet didn't bother checking the time, it was irrelevant.

Ratchet soon received a call. Checking his bond's pad which was hidden in his chassis, it revealed it was Perceptor, just who Ratchet wanted, exactly who, finally something could be done.

“Percy, I'm so glad you called and I NEVER say this” Ratchet said, for once in his life he sounded grateful talking to someone other than his bond.

“I called to let you know I'm back now...wait? Ratchet? Is that you? You ok? You're never glad about talking to me, I'd say you would tolerate me... wait this is Wheeljack's pad how--?” Perceptor sounded confused and so he should be, but Ratchet had to cut him off.

“Nevermind that, something happened to Wheeljack and your first priority is to get to his lab, take some samples from the creature there then shove it in cryo, I almost purged my tanks at the sight of it so be aware of that, the place is a mess and a slip hazard, be careful, I know you have the key so you'll be fine, analyse what you can and when you're done bring the data to me” Ratchet spit fired consecutively fast but he knew Peceptor got it.

“Heading there as we speak, what happened? Is Jackie ok? I'm glad he managed to get a sample but if he killed it...” Perceptor sounded worried and he certainly should be.

“I'm not at liability to confirm or deny at this current stage, but get your pedal on, all I'm going to say is that he is stabilised but......contaminated, don't let anybody know of the situation yet, not until we have full details, I don't think he killed it, I think it died after...... just get a move on” Ratchet was getting irritated.

“WOW, that thing is ugly, It's body is slightly smaller than me and I'm just a tad smaller than Jackie....well it would be if it wasn't so bloated full of juices, It's tentacles are extremely long, about three times the size of it's body, they're also severely bloated, but I should be able to move it still.” he paused for a bit and just when Ratchet was going to reply he continued.

I got a sample and uhhh just letting you know I purged on the floor while moving it to cryo, but it's already a hazard. Looks like it was dying already.... like it died after......releasing it's spawn? That happens to some creatures but......where could they be?” Perceptor was sounding too enthusiastic for Ratchet's liking considering the circumstances

“Percy.....I saw the creature myself no need to describe it and the spawn.........they're with me” Ratchet replied, being as vague as possible just in case. Wheeljack's 'condition' needed to stay quiet, at least until more information was revealed.

“Starting the analysis now, I'm running the sample against the database, hopefully there's a match but it's gonna take a while for it, I'll let you know and take it to you right away” Perceptor replied, still sounding too giddy for Ratchet.

“Good, you're a big help, but prepare yourself before you enter here, Jackie's guard is broken and his condition......... you'll see when you get here, I'm in the farthest back emergency theatre, Ratchet out” Ratchet hung up before Perceptor could reply, optics focused on Wheeljack as he was still in recharge, Ratchet added another bag of coolant, the other was spent, he waited, optics continued to fixate on the sharp features of his bond's face, admiring his recharging form and feeling the dread in his spark of what to come when he onlined.


	8. Chapter 8

Wheeljack onlined to realise that his helm had been covered by a white sheet, followed by chatter and a loud bellow of “I'VE GOT IT” which could only have come from Perceptor, which certainly wasn't something he needed to hear with a pounding processor ache, a terrible taste in his intake, sore pedes, sore chassis, sore abdomen..... basically everything was sore and pounding as if he had drank an entire bottle of engex or was recovering from some heavy painkillers.

Wheeljack reached up to pull the sheet off his helm, he wasn't offline so why was it over him? With one motion he pulls it away and perfectly times his shout for extra drama.

“Percy, it's too damn early for ya to be yellin an I gotta splittin processor ache so if ya could please shut it that'd be wonderful” his tone was rough and as he yelled, Perceptor looked utterly entranced, what? Was his guard... he touched a servo to his face, which indeed wasn't covered by his guard, in fact, he couldn't even initiate it, but Wheeljack was far too occupied with the aches and pains to care.

“WOAH, Jackie, I've never seen your... wow.... that scar is nasty but I was expecting worse from the descriptions...you know.....you're...actually....” Perceptor stared perhaps a little too much, his cheeks flushed a slight shade of blue/pink from a combination of energon and his heating faceplates.

“I'm what? Huh? Disfigured” Shove it” Wheeljack certainly wasn't in the mood for any negativity, he hardly remembered what happened last night, all he did remember was activating the portal then getting knocked over, his guard breaking and being incredibly overheated in pain, did he even want to remember? His frame felt heavy, hot and uncomfortable.

“You're..... you're really hot...” Perceptor replied.

“Yeah, think I overheated my frame while...... wait?” Wheeljack slapped a servo to his helm, by the allspark he was so dense.

“I know Wheeljack is perfection incarnate Perceptor but that's enough of that, I hate to spoil your fun but we got a crisis on our hands that needs addressing and fast” Ratchet chimed in with such venom even the atmosphere shook in terror.

“Ahhh.... yes, apologies, wow Ratchet you really are a lucky bot, anyway the analysis is complete, the sector was previously owned by, I think it's pronounced Vaw-Lans? I'm probably wrong but nobody has had direct contact with them and there's very little information on their race at all, some texts call them the first ones. The planet Wheeljack discovered is called Polypsys C37, the atmosphere is kind of like Earth but more argon and hydrogen, the climate is also much colder on average and the gravity is also slightly heavier. The planet is teaming with natural energon resources, a surplus in fact. It is a sanctuary zone as many of it's wildlife is endangered due to the harsh nature of the planet and their strange breeding cycles, we can explore it, map it, take energon from it but cannot live there or kill it's wildlife” Perceptor explained, reading the data he'd found, shaking with excitement.

“That's all fascinating stuff, Wheeljack why didn't you do your research?” Ratchet directed the question to his bond.

“I did but it was all blocked when I checked it, I didn't think the thing would be able to come through and didn't think it would attack....” Wheeljack went silent, images and feelings returning, the mech finally looked down and everything fell together, his abdomen had a sheet put over it but when he touched a servo to it.

“That was my fault..... I programmed the Satellites to scan the new area, I didn't think there would be any danger a Cybertronian couldn't handle, much of the data I read was also hidden behind a cache, I needed a sample from it's wildlife to access it, some species are such time wasters...... did something happen.....Jackie are you ok?” Perceptor asked, as he observed the striped mech.

Perceptor watched Wheeljack's optics widen, servo gripping at his abdomen then letting go, venting increasing and coolant filtering faster. Ratchet watched, gripping a servo between his own and sending signals to his bond.

“Ok, I'll continue, I researched the sample and a match came up, it's a critically endangered species rarely ever seen on Polypsys C37, they require a third in their mating ritual to carry their young, and it doesn't even need to be of the same species! Any species that is made up of energon is able to carry them! Tests have only been recorded on Insecticons who were accidentally or 'accidentally' implanted, these were done while the Quintessons briefly held the planet centuries ago.” Perceptor paused, he noted that Wheeljack was listening albeit horrified, Ratchet too even though he didn't look it as he focused his attention to his smaller bond.

“The host is first fed a heavy substance that dulls and paralyses them while preparing them for implantation, making them feel like they are in heat and to keep them still so that the ovipositor isn't damaged if they struggle, part of the tip is broken off inside to allow the eggs to push though, there is around ten Earth minutes between each egg that is deposited but the host is usually pleasured to make them more accepting. When the brood is deposited the ovipositor snaps off and uses the last of it's strength to push itself through and into the chamber, it attaches itself to it's host and makes their bodies or frames believe that they are carriers, giving the same symptoms as a carrier of the species and their own, albeit somewhat amplified. The one who implants the brood dies shortly after so that it can nourish the carrier, part of the carcass must be devoured or the brood will kill it's host, the brood has a maximum of thirteen and a minimum of eight eggs, they grow inside of the host for around forty to fifty Earth days, the rotation of Polypsys C37 is basically the same as Earth give or take, anyway.....where.....where is the brood?” Perceptor gave them all of the information they needed, as he read it out he slowly came to realise what Wheeljack's 'condition' might be.

“The brood....... it's........” Wheeljack looked down at his abdomen, the sheet now missing and the swelling still visible from the previous day.

“The internal scans showed this” Ratchet said sombrely as he pulled up snaps and focused the real time captures over where Wheeljack's chamber was, where the brood resided showing them squirm and wriggle inside of the thin but tough clear coating of the eggs.

“By the allspark....... this.......this is..... INTRUGUING!” Perceptor spouted

“WHAT!” Wheeljack responded, quite stunned by such a curious outburst.

“Perceptor....this is hardly the time to want to....” Ratchet was quickly cut off

“There hasn't been any data of a Cybertronian carrier, this.....this could be immense! and the brood is huge! Thirteen! 'a full house! so to speak, this is big for a critically endangered species, I mean you wouldn't legally be able to remove them let alone actually be able to, if you did they'd kill you by releasing a toxin” Perceptor was quite excited, he certainly knew of the risks and he thought he might as well make something good out of the situation.

“Percy.... I'm not too thrilled about this, are ya saying that i'm gonna be ya' alien egg incubator test subject?” Wheeljack rubbed at his now aching abdomen, feeling the brood shifting.

“Oh come on, you're a scientist, this is all for science, it's all for the betterment of... well everything, we can learn so much from this and you're stuck with them till they.....'emerge' for lack of a better word so why not lend your frame to science!” Perceptors enthusiasm was starting to get under both Wheeljack's and Ratchet's external plating.

“I DIDN'T DO MULTIPLE PHDs TO BE A SLAGGING INCUBATOR PERCY!” Wheeljack was furious but he was stuck either way, at the moment he was grateful he felt rage rather than disgust and filth which was what permeated throughout his frame for the majority of the time since he onlined.

“And emerge? If these things are anything like Xenomo-” 

“Oh goodness no, I guess 'emerge' was a a poor choice of words, it's fine' you'll birth them” Perceptor replied, cutting off Wheeljack before he could finish.

“ I'm..... gonna have to...... no, no, NO, NO!” Wheeljack felt his valve clench.

“It'll be fine, be glad they're not going to eat you from the inside out” Perceptor replied.

“This really is a mess isn't it Jackie, this thing is gonna trick you into being sparked, we're in a load of trouble now.” Ratchet knew he was going to get so much slag, he'd try to take most of it as his small bond was already in too much strife, how to explain the issue to Prime... he tried to think of a way, it would be much easier than Prowl though.

“We're both slag by this point aren't we Ratch...” Wheeljack responded shaking his helm.

“Well, it's not the first time a Cybertronian has had a creature use them for young, but those ones were organic and didn't kill when they were removed, Prowl once had it happen to him but if anyone mentioned it, he'd beat us with that pole that's jammed up in his tailpipe.....oops, nobody say I mentioned it, but others know too.” Ratchet slipped, he was still mad at him for upsetting his bond those days ago, he got caught up in the lax mood that somehow formed of this situation.

“Ratchet, I know ya' ain't worried bout' Prowl, bot can't even go in for a Med check without shakin from yer glare, I guess we're both gonna be sufferin' cos of these things, well..... it's such an absurd situation isn't it.” Wheeljack looked less uncomfortable, the lax situation calming him down mostly.

“Hehehe, Prowl's always drilling me too, anyway back on topic, ummm, Wheeljack what is it like currently? I'd like to log your feelings about the situation and take a picture to show your progress.” Perceptor steered everyone back on track and pulled out a recording device from his chassis.

“Just, don't get my helm in the pictures....Day one, It feels like slag an the revelation I'm gonna have to incubate these for around forty to fifty days is not the best...but their 'emergence'..... I feel the things sucking my energon and coolant dry, I'm kinda feeling like I need an energon top up, that slag it shoved in me yesterday it's almost all gone” Wheeljack replied shaking his helm as he pushed the thought of what their 'emergence' will be, his tone sounding more like Ratchet's than his own.

“I'll grab a top up of the med” Ratchet stood up to grab it.

“Well if you were sparked you'd have to carry for around a year and they can get quite large with a chance of twins or even triplets, which would be difficult for someone with such a narrow frame like yours and considering the difference between you and your bond...” Perceptor replied as he took a photograph.

“No comment...” Wheeljack retorted interrupting Perceptor, stare matching that of when the Hatchet came out.

“Wow... it really is true, Spark Bonded do influence each other, well I've angered you enough I believe, Ratchet, what's the plan of action for now?” Perceptor retorted as he looked away from his glare.

“Jackie's gotta take a day or so of rest so his frame can adjust, his natural coolant levels are still low so he needs packs still and we've surprisingly got a surplus of medical grade he can thrive on” Ratchet replied returning to hand him some med grade and put in a new bag of coolant.

“Also my pedes are still recoveri- ughghgh ewww” Wheeljack winced as the brood again shifted in his chamber, feeling filth as they made themselves known to him, little slaggers needed to remind him they were there, he tried to quiet them down by putting light pressure on his abdomen with his empty servo.

Wheeljack really would rather be carrying sparklings, they'd wanted them for so long but the war kept them from being able to, for him It would be a long, tough, gruelling process to bring them forth, they might even lash out at his internals but it would all be worth it, along the way he'd be able to speak with them, feel their presence, meet them and knowing that they were the product of their bond would warm his spark. Creations formed of tenderness and love for one another. He thought of what their frames would look like, would they look like him? Would they look like Ratchet? Or would they be strange combinations of both? He wished he could meet them sooner.

The feeling of the creatures that inhabited his chamber on the other hand, was viscous, vile and parasitic, they had no care for the person they greedily sucked the life of and their presence was violent and unwanted, no love or tenderness in their making, pure agony, tricks and deceit, any pleasure derived was forced and unwanted all while accompanied by pain, suffering, sick and filth, a filth he wanted to cleanse, so desperately did he want to be cleansed.

Ratchet noticed his bond was in deep thought and rubbed a servo over his, he leaned in close to his face, nuzzling at his helm. Usually he never did this in front of any bot, but to them Perceptor was invisible, it was just simply the two.

“We'll get through this Jackie, I know you'll make it through this” Ratchet felt Wheeljack lean in close and place kisses against him, wrapping servos around his neck carefully aware of the IV firmly planted in his arm.

“I can, but only with you” Wheeljack replied, static in his vocaliser.

“Hey, ummm do you guys want me to go” Perceptor did what they needed him to do, they knew the situation, they'd deal with him tomorrow.

“YES” Both bots said at the exact same time while wearing the exact same glare.

“But take the substance in the centrifuge and analyse it, stuff was inside Wheeljack's tank, might yield useful results” Ratchet chimed, refusing to take an optic off of his bond's sharp and aware features.

Perceptor left, taking the vials. The two bots relishing in each other, intermingled, holding close, making sure the other felt safe.

“Let's just lie here for a while huh? Just like this...but I want to..... I need to wash, I need to be cleaned and scrubbed, I feel dirty, but we can wait, for now I just need this” Wheeljack replied, visibly shaking as he clutched Ratchet tighter.

“Of course we can and I'm here and I'm not gonna let you do this alone....we can't anyway, it'll be as if you were sparked.... we'd need to interface as if.......” Ratchet stopped, it was a painful situation, he didn't know if his bond would even want to, but they would need to at some points, and his bond would have to consume a part of the creature, they'd have to worry about that when the time came.

“I know.... and what I feel you'll feel right? I hope Aid can get back... this is just gonna throw a spanner into everything, Prime...” Wheeljack paused

“We'll tell him when we're ready ok” Ratchet intervened 

“Aye” Replied Wheeljack as he nuzzed into Ratchets large chassis, feeling his strong arms wrap around him, he was safe, finally safe.


	9. Chapter 9

Ratchet finished up on the winglet and heard Wheeljack quiet down, he scrubbed the sponge over his helm and finials which flashed and shifted slightly at his touch. When he was done, Wheeljack splashed water over him.

“Do you want me to get in with you? They make these basins easily big enough for Prime” Ratchet asked.

Wheeljack didn't respond but he did jump up to grab his neck and pull, causing Ratchet to lose balance and topple in with him, causing water to splash all around. Wheeljack picked up a sponge and started to scrub his bond's neck and shoulders laughing as Ratchet glared.

“Now this is a way to cleanse” Wheeljack said between laughs. 

“I would have preferred a warning” Ratchet grumbled.

“That's no fun” Wheeljack replied as he entangled his limbs around Ratchet and pulled him close for kisses.

“Let's....Ratchet” Wheeljack purred, a servo touching his bond's panel.

Ratchet pulled away, grabbing the servo on his panel and placing it to the side, unsure if this is what should be happening, he trailed his other servo down his bonds chassis and put it on his hip attempting not to touch the slightly distended abdomen worried it might upset him.

“Ratchet why are you pulling away?... do you not want me..... am I too tainted? Is it because of this?” Wheeljack shifted Ratchet's grasp to the bulge in his stomach, rubbing it against it.

“Jackie... I don't think you want to do this right now, please give it a while, I don't want to put you in any position that will make you uncomfortable” Ratchet replied, forced to feel the strange sensation that he too wished was his sparkling.

“Ratchet.... I …. I don't know what I want.... are these things... what about the transfluid exchange... I'm sorry I don't know, Ratchet What's happening to me?” Wheeljack let go of Ratchet's servo, feeling disgust that his bond had traced and felt the things that were controlling him right now.

“Wheeljack I'm not going to do anything with you until you're able to consent properly, for now let's just clean ourselves up ok” Ratchet wasn't prepared for how quickly the changes would happen to his bond, it had only been last night he was implanted, he worried just how much of Wheeljack's physiology and psychology would be affected by the imposters as well as his own. At least he'd be able to tell in his spark if his bond was ready.

“Ratchet I'm sorry, I don't know what came over me, lets just get back to cleaning huh?” Wheeljack shook again.

“Yeah, that's what I was doing before you interrupted me” Ratchet replied, grabbing the sponge.

Ratchet was careful when he got up to scrubbing his bond's bulge, he knew he shouldn't have been but he was utterly fascinated by it, he wondered if it was because of the tricks or because he wanted to see his bond filled with his own, he tried to empty the thought and scrubbed at it slowly watching it shift from inside movement in morbid fascination. 

“Ratch, it's clean.... can you stop now, I kinda feel a lil nervous” Wheeljack did seem a little anxious.

“S..Sorry, I’m just trying to get used to it for now” Ratchet replied.

“Please don't, it's only for forty to fifty days...” Wheeljack said, vocaliser shaking.

“When the war's over, it'll be for just under a year” Ratchet didn't mean to say that.

“Hah funny... waters getting cold, time for a spray down” Wheeljack responded cynically.

“Yeah, you go first” Ratchet said, feeling a tinge of arousal he didn't want to feel and venting hard.

Wheeljack exited and Ratchet followed, grabbing the medical grade pressure hose and spraying Wheeljack and switching after each removed the soap. 

They headed back to the emergency room in relative silence, neither speaking until they entered.

“Thanks for cleaning me Ratch, I'm feelin' a lil' tired so I might go for another recharge, probably won't be up till tomorrow, also, is it ok for me to help myself to the med grade?” Wheeljack asked opening his mouth wide and sticking out his glossa out as he yawned.

“Of course, I'll give you space and there's plenty of coolant if you feel you're not creating enough, I know you know how to put it in yourself but if you need to, please call for me” Ratchet got the hint that Wheeljack wanted some time to himself, he'd been through a lot and needed to retreat, both of them needed it sometimes.

When Ratchet left, Wheeljack locked the door and picked out a cube of Medgrade, guzzling it down quickly, he'd been feeling so empty and the little slaggers inside him were unsettled as they writhed for more sustenance. Wheeljack knew he'd have to consume two maybe three times the amount of energon to sustain them, usually if someone was sparked they'd have about that much more than usual depending on the purity, he also knew that it would need to be mixed with minerals to help the growth of the frame, the pair would have to interface a fair amount to spread nanites to the frame, all this is done to prevent the frame from cannibalising it's host.

Wheeljack soon realised that all this knowledge was probably useless because these things were not frames, he was in untested territory, he had no idea what these things wanted. He thought of the way Ratchet acted in the tub, the way he caressed the parasites, were they already trying to trick them into wanting them?

He soon had to grab a second cube, still feeling on empty. He then laid down on the table and injected some coolant through the IV. It would take another half an hour for him to finally enter recharge, he spent the time musing over the fact that he may well have to consume the carcass of the creature or at least some of it to fuel the things but he'd deal with that tomorrow.

 

Ratchet rushed to his berth feeling overwhelmingly aroused, he needed to overload and he needed it ten minutes ago. He rushed passed a confused Jazz who tried to stop him to ask for something but he was ignored. Ratchet got into the berth right in time venting heavily as his valve and spike unsheathed themselves, he vented more and found an insertion toy hidden in the draws under their berth, it looked like something Wheeljack had created but it had to do, he was too desperate to be picky right now.

Pushing it into his valve then getting into a position on his knees, he began to use a pillow to grind it into him. The device powered on itself and pushed lightly against both his interior and anterior nodes sending pulses and vibrations automatically stimulating them in tune to how he was grinding. The sensation was wonderful and caused Ratchet to moan, as he did the device reacted and started to pump into his valve.

“Jackie, I don't have any slagging idea what this thing is but it's good” Ratchet thought to himself.

He then grabbed his spike and began pumping, the device responded by opening it's base and attaching itself to his spike, Ratchet let go as it connected impulses to it. “What's it doing now?”  
Ratchet began to grind again and felt the pulses of the device in both his spike and valve, the sensation felt as if he was inside of a valve, he then came to realise that the sensations on his spike were similar to the ones in his valve, the device essentially allowed him to frag himself, why his bond would make such a ludicrous toy was beyond him, but he knew that his strange little mind probably took the term 'go frag yourself' a little too seriously.

Ratchet was speeding up, the toy obliging by sending soothing electric pulses all throughout his frame, he felt himself approaching overload, his sirens flashing shades of blue and red as each pulse hit him and hit him hard, moaning as he felt each thrust, as he overloaded he felt both his spike and valve send shock waves through his frame causing his sirens to blink rapidly screaming in response to the powerful waves, the only noise that escaped his glossa was loud heavy sigh slicked with his own saliva, feeling fluids hit his chassis from his spike and feeling the wetness on the pillow through the servo which he used to hold it in place.

The device allowed him to ride it out before it slowly disconnected itself, luckily for Ratchet it didn't explode. He had to clean the thing after and put it back, he knew his bond made toys, they'd used them on each other before to spice things up, but he didn't know about this one. After Ratchet finished cleaning himself up he laid in the berth alone, trying to figure out just what had happened to make him need to overload so badly. He'd felt his 'needs' before but this time it felt different, like he was working for the sole purpose to overload, not for the enjoyment of it. He thought about Wheeljack and the implications of what might happen further down the track, what those parasites as he called them would do to his frame and his own. He knew there was no real way to tell so his best bet at this point was to wait and see, he then entered recharge he so desperately needed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little bit of weird fun this chapter.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some plans get sped up a little faster than you're expecting them to.

Wheeljack onlined to the feeling of nauseousness, getting up and attempting to make it the sink but failing, he instead got it on the beautifully clean white floors, staining them with sickly pinks and blues. He had nothing left to purge in his tank but it kept trying, his optics watered and by this point it was dry heaving, he felt horrible, he alerted Ratchet but continued attempting to expel his already expelled contents.

Ratchet heard his bond's cries and rushed to him, seeing the small mech curled into a ball in a corner leaking liquid from optics, he looked over and saw the mess of a purged tank staining the floors.

“Ratchet I'm sorry, I tried to get the sink.... but I missed, please don't hate me for wasting the med grade” Wheeljack sobbed, Ratchet didn't know why he was making such a fuss, yes he purged the med grade, yes there was a mess, but he was more concerned with the safety of his bond.

“Jackie it's fine, sometimes purges happen, you can't stop it, I'll clean it up, If you feel weak and cant hold it, we'll inject it intravenously, It's not a big deal” Ratchet replied, aware that his bond was emotionally hindered, the stress was probably catching up to him.

“I'm gonna have to eat that thing aren't I? I'm so disgusting...” Wheeljack tightened his grip on himself, venting faster, watching Ratchet clean up the mess he created.

“Probably, but I don't care, you're my sparkbond and I'm gonna make sure we get through this” Ratchet responded, trying to calm him, with the mess cleaned he knew he'd have to accompany him, he headed to the sink to cleanse his servos.

“I don't want to do this Ratchet...I don't want to do this...” Wheeljack replied, venting pace increasing.

“I know you don't, but we have no choice, I'm here, I'll help you, please come here” Ratchet slowly walked towards his bond, taking his time so as not to alarm him.

“WE?! Ratchet, I'm the one carrying here, how could you possibly understand?” Wheeljack yelled, obviously upset and overcome with his emotions.

“Jackie, I understand you're upset, I don't know how you feel carrying them, but what they do to you, I'm gonna experience as well to some extent, we have to work together to get through this, you've passed one day, just forty nine more and you have me and Percy here to support you, please, let me help you, I love you...” Ratchet replied, patient as he was when he first became a doctor.

“Ok, but please, don't look at me while I consume it, I don't want you to see it...” Wheeljack responded.

“I won't, but I'm with you, every step I’m with you” Ratchet reached out, taking in Wheeljack's servo and clutching him tightly.

“What part is it?” Wheeljack asked.

“Perceptor sent me this last night, it says that there is an organ filled with proteins needed for the development, I'll remove it, I think my skills can be defined as 'transferable' even to organics” Ratchet replied, taking his box of scalpels.

“let's hope, because offlining from being devoured by parasites is not the way Wheeljack is going out” His sparkbond replied, attempting to make himself feel less stressed.

Ratchet helped his bond to his pedes, steadying him and carefully leading him through to the lab, attempting to make the least amount of noise or fuss to avoid unwanted attention, the halls were fortunately empty on their way there.

When they entered Wheeljack's lab the place was still covered in juices, the sight made Wheeljack start to shiver.

“You ok Jackie? I'll clean the place up after I extract the organ ok” Ratchet told him, watching his responses.

“T....Tha...Thanks” Wheeljack replied shutting his optics, sight of the fluids making him remember the night, he felt them covering his frame, the sickliness, the paralysis.

“Jackie? JACKIE! I'm here” Ratchet exclaimed, grasping his servo between his own.

“The lab needs to be cleaned Ratchet, I don't like my space being dirty.” Wheeljack said monotonously.

“I know, one of the few things we both can agree on” Ratchet replied.

“It's in cryo right? It's dead it can't hurt us? Right? Please..” Wheeljack was freaking out again.

“It's dead yes, Jackie, I don't want you to look at it, please don't look at it, I'll grind down the organ and place it in some energon, you won't even taste it, things will be ok” Ratchet said calmly.

“But.... I have to, I have to look at it” Wheeljack replied.

“Fine, if you must, but just letting you know Perceptor purged yesterday while moving it” Ratchet said anxiously.

“I was wonderin' why there was more mess than there was before” Wheeljack replied sheepishly.

Ratchet removed the thing from cryo, he'd have to allow Perceptor to take it into his lab later for a dissection and analysis, for now he needed that organ, he turned the frozen creature over to reveal the best place for incision, using the guide on his datapad from Perceptor's findings, he cut into the flesh. Frozen rivers of energon filled the creature, it was quite unusual for an organic to thrive off of it, he cut deeper and deeper until he found the organ, an ovular and quite large piece that probably formed while the best was developing the eggs, it might have sapped energy and nutrients for them, it was red, purple, blue and pink and was the size of Ratchet's two clenched servos.

“I..... I gotta consume that thing” Wheeljack asked peaking around.

“JACKIE, I told you not to look at it.” Ratchet exclaimed, shocked by the sudden appearance.

“That's the thing that..... I'm carrying..... Oh Primus, it's worse than I thought, no, no ,no ,no” Wheeljack felt dizzy and faint, the thing was hideous, and to think it made him overload, filled him with it's young, the thoughts only added, he felt himself purge but nothing exited, he simply heaved nothing exiting.

“Jackie, for once, for once in your life LISTEN TO ME” Ratchet exploded.

“Sorry, I was curious...” Wheeljack responded dolefully.

“I'll take this back to med, grind it up. You can sip it for the rest of the day” Ratchet replied, annoyed at his bond's ignorance.

Wheeljack studied the defrosting organ while Ratchet cleaned his lab, feeling the parasites excitedly squirm and push the plating as the smell filled his olfactory senses, the sweet scent reminding him of the sludge he'd been forced to consume.

Wheeljack made sure to slouch on his way back, avoiding eye contact and cuddling up to his bond, there wasn't any bot but Jazz who tried to strike up a conversation with Ratchet and himself attempting but failing to blow him off.

“C'mon Ratch, you ignored me yesterday too, what's the deal?” Jazz said as he trailed behind.

“We're busy Jazz, talk to you later” Ratchet said.

“Busy with what? You two sneaky bots, Wheeljack not wearing his guard? Jazz knows something is up, I know being Prime's Lieutenant is intimidating, but both you bots know who I really am, you can tell me anything....unless it breaks certain codes then I'm legally required to report to Prime or my aft is done” Jazz said, again trying to understand what was going on.

“I don't really want to talk about it...” Wheeljack said, trying to slouch to hide his abdomen, hoping his scarred face would keep Jazz's attention.

“ Aight, you know Wheeljack you're a really handsome bot, your scars aren't that bad at all you don't need to cover your face round here and look, I get it, you guys need your space, but I want to know why there was a massive energon surge in your lab and cameras caught you, being held by you, to be taken to Medical two nights ago, Prowl reported the tapes to Prime yesterday, I tried to access the Infirmary but everything was locked up tighter than Iacon records, now, I need an explanation but more than that I need to know you two are ok, so, tell me what's up” Jazz said staring Wheeljack in the optics, calmly but firmly.

“I tried to use the portal again, got a fair bit of energon from the planet, also a sample of the wildlife, got knocked around a bit” Wheeljack replied, standing firm, forgetting the slight bulge in his abdomen.

Jazz spied the slightly descended plating, making note, his optics were trained to notice any variation, his visor also aided in that endeavour.

“Wheeljack, how far along are you?” Jazz responded tonelessly.

Wheeljack's optics widened in horror, he stared at Ratchet who gestured at him to cross his servos.

“Wheeljack, how far along are you? You know the rules, I wish I could give you a pass, I really do but we can't” Jazz looked at Ratchet.

“I'm not sparked Jazz....” Wheeljack replied, venting deeply.

“It looks an awful lot like you are, answer the question or I'm taking you both to Prowl” Jazz said sombrely, he really didn't want to do this but regulations are regulations and if he ignored this, his own aft as well as the operations of the base were on the line, confidentiality only spread so far.

“He's right, he's....” Ratchet stopped, looking at his bond who nodded, touched a servo to it, then spoke.

“When I opened the portal I was attacked by a creature, that creature implanted it's young into me, the things I'm carrying are a critically endangered species, they can't be removed or I’m done for, Perceptor, Ratchet and I have it under control, it's no cause for alarm and will only last another forty or so days.” Wheeljack responded watching Jazz's expression change from neutral to melancholy.

“You do know this is a serious issue Wheeljack, we'll have to organise our monthly meeting a little earlier to discuss this, Prime and Prowl aren't gonna be pleased with you getting yourself 'contaminated' like this, I'm gonna try to organise it in two days, make sure you get the necessary information and documents to back this up, I'll mitigate the damage.... also Wheeljack..... I'm so......so sorry” Jazz responded, sincere in his words.

“I understand the severity,..... but you know if I really was sparked, there's not a chance in the fiery tanks of Unicron I'd let you take them away from me” Wheeljack said, words filled with venom.

“I'd expect no less, just keep up with your 'bolt' replacements in the meantime, I'll check in on you tomorrow and try to discuss ways on how we can mitigate this mess..... please make sure he's ok” Jazz said looking to Ratchet who was stunned.

“We were hoping to keep this quiet for a bit longer, please tell me it's only going to be necessary members for this meeting” Ratchet replied anxiously.

“Of course, but others will grow curious, I trust you guys all have this under control, I'll try to make sure we get Aid back as well, good luck” Jazz trotted off to let Prime know.

“Why's he gotta be so damn good at his job, now he's gonna tell all the other bots, ugh, it's bad enough already...everything is happening way too fast Ratch” Wheeljack said.

“I know, faster than we'd like...but just be glad it's not the twins” Ratchet replied.

“They'll find out sooner or later and spread it as far as the Cons, I'll never live this down.” Wheeljack covered his faceplates.

“Everything's gonna be fine, c'mon, you better consume this thing before it goes bad” Ratchet said.

“Yeah, I know, ugh what a mess” Wheeljack was ready for this to be over.

When they returned to the emergency theatre Ratchet tossed the organ in with a mix of minerals that would be used for building a frame and some medical grade into the special blender. Grinding the materials down to a nice paste for easy consumption, the mix went a browning purple that Wheeljack didn't seem particularly interested in, but his cravings screamed for it so he had to oblige by them.

“Drink up I guess” Ratchet retorted, looking the other way after he handed it to him.

“So not only am I drinking that mineral mix that I've heard tastes terrible, but I'm also drinking monster guts, this can only get better after this right?” Wheeljack responded sarcastically.

“Yep, I've tasted the minerals before, got paid to in Uni, they're not the best tasting and I was smashed when I did it, but it was entirely pure and unmixed so I got the full force” Ratchet replied, the taste coming into his mouth again, he then realised that he'd have to consume even more amounts of it in future when he was sparked and do it sober even, making him shudder.

“Just when I think I’ve heard all of your exploits, more show up, what the frag didn't you do in Uni?How did I even survive being your roomie? Well bottoms up as the humans say” Wheeljack chugged the substance as fast as he could, making sure it was all in his tank before he lowered his helm, the mix was surprisingly not that bad, the sweetness of the creatures organ mixed with the mild tasting Med grade and the metallic taste of the minerals somehow managed to blend to create a nice, well rounded concoction.

“ I wonder that myself, how is it?” Ratchet asked, still not facing his bond as was requested earlier as he consumed the substance.

“Hey, that wasn't so bad, and the lil fellas like it too I think, calm down you guys, ugh owowow, ooohhh” Wheeljack felt warmth in his tank and abdomen, the brood shifting and squirming slowly, the sensation somehow felt relaxing, but Wheeljack quickly silenced it by rubbing and pushing at them.

“I guess that's good, what are they doing? Can I?” Ratchet asked as he turned to face him. Wheeljack nodded, grabbing his servo and finding where they were making most of a fuss.

“Lil bastards won't sit still, I feel a lil better now, I like when you rub me Ratchet” Wheeljack said letting go and allowing another servo to touch his shifting bulge.

“I think they're gonna grow bigger..... Jackie I don't care for what's inside there, but I do care for you and want to make you feel good” Ratchet said as he massaged the tight plating, moving them to allow for them to become more pliable so that in future the stretching of the protoform beneath would be less taxing, massaging between the plates, he'd done this on bots before the war, he'd prefer if he was in fact sparked, it would have allowed him to bond with their sparkling.

“Oooh, this feels good” Wheeljack replied, slowly being walked towards the hospital berth.

“How about I loosen some of your protoform and circuitry? It'll make this all much better and easier for you” Ratchet said, sitting his bond down and standing behind him.

“Ooooh, yeah, my winglets need some too” Wheeljack mewled, his engine purring as Ratchet kneaded between shoulder plating, working out knotted circuits and tight lines.

“I'm gonna make sure to pamper you Jackie” Ratchet purred.

“MMMph” Wheeljack felt the mix calm him, falling completely into the touch of his Ratchet's careful servos, he finally felt relaxed after weeks of not. He deserved this, by the Allspark he deserved this, and he repeated it to himself and listened to the purring engine of his bond and lulled further into his touch, being bonded to a skilled medic certainly had its brilliant perks, he allowed his engine to purr beautifully, enticing his bond to knead deeper, yeah, he deserved this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cat adds that the substance made from the creature increases mood as it's body pumps it with chemicals that cause that reaction, just in case there was confusion and things will begin speeding up a bit.


	11. Chapter 11

“Oh Ratchet, you're far too good with your servos, can you move on to a different area” Wheeljack mewled, engine revving loudly, letting his bond know his power.

“Where should I attend to?” Ratchet said positioning them to the lower lumbar, pushing his thumbs into the struts and his other digits towards his hips.

“MMMph, all my aches, scrap... the slaggers..” Wheeljack felt the brood move some more.

“Jeez, they like to squirm don't they, I can even feel them on you sides” Ratchet replied as they made themselves present.

Wheeljack looked up and grabbed Ratchet's helm, pulling it towards his own, planting kisses on his mouth. Ratchet reciprocated, pushing his glossa inside of Wheeljack, who then pushed him away and turned his frame around to face his bond. Wheeljack then laid down, inviting Ratchet to crawl onto him. He did so in a careful manner, grasping both his servos into his and placing kisses onto his bond.

“Jackie, are you sure this is ok?” Ratchet asked, stopping.

“Of course it is, I love you and I want you” Wheeljack replied wrapping arms around his neck.

“I'm, I'm not sure yet...” Ratchet also wanted this, he wanted it badly, but his bond...

“Just shut up Ratchet, I'm in control now” Wheeljack said wrapping thighs around his mid and pulling him closer, opening his valve covering.

“Jackie...I'm still not-” Ratchet was interrupted by kisses and a servo pawing at his panel.

“I said I'm fine now, please Ratchet, just frag me already, we know you want this too, I can feel it in our sparks.” Wheeljack pressed the manual open and Ratchet's spike revealed itself, already pressurised and ready for him.

“Jackie... dammit....” Ratchet cursed his own lack of control and pushed his bond's frame down, gripping his spike and tracing it around his entrance which was already slicked with lubricants due to the massaging he'd given him earlier.

“Ratchet, yer a slaggin tease, just shove it in alread- AHH.” Wheeljack bucked at his spike, ready to be split by it's length and girth as Ratchet slowly pushed it into him.

“You're just a whiny-” Ratchet had just reached the hilt and started to thrust before he looked at the door to see none other than Perceptor standing and staring, optics wide.

“I seem to have arrived at the worst time” He said calmly, optics focused on Wheeljack's exposed spike and valve.

“CAN YOU MAKE SURE YOU KNOCK NEXT TIME!!!” Wheeljack screamed, sitting up and leaning into his bond trying to cover his own and his bond's.

“Percy...” Ratchet pulled out and turned himself away, but he knew that he'd definitely seen them both.

“Ratchet you're huge, How do? How does that fit into? Wow, you sure can take a spike Wheeljack, your own's pretty impressive too.” Perceptor had to try and soften the situation, his own face had lit up from seeing the two, but he had research to be done, he'd definitely knock next time.

“SHUT UP!” Wheeljack could take Prime seeing them, it certainly wasn't the first time someone had spotted them, so why this time was he bothered so much? Wheeljack then retracted his interfacing equipment.

“What is it Percy? What is it that you'd so rudely interrupt us for?” Wheeljack asked, very much annoyed at Perceptor stopping him from getting spiked.

“Do try to knock next time, Perceptor, as we discussed, mimicking the gestation needs” Ratchet added, now turning around, his spike tucked back into his panel his tone monotonous and his expression neutral.

“ Sorry you two, I didn't expect you to get handsy this early on, everything is happening all to quickly, I know for next time, anyway I came here to check on the brood and get Wheeljack's opinions, a photograph and any other info I need” Perceptor replied, utterly embarrassed with himself.

“ Well, Jazz noticed Jackie....” Ratchet threw in.

“We gotta scrape up more information for a conference, We're in it deep... Jazz said he'd try to mitigate but we need a quick pre discussion, big convo is in two Earth days” Wheeljack chimed in.

“Why were you even out of the? Nevermind that, if you two get me in trouble.... ugh we're gonna have to present a case, Jazz can help, question will be if saying it's voluntary or an accident will be better, Jazz can help us with that tomorrow, for now I need to ask, HOW DID YOU IDIOTS GET CAUGHT!” Perceptor rarely raised his voice like that.

“I purged the med grade, I needed to consume the organ” Wheeljack replied, Perceptor brought out the capture device from his chassis, Wheeljack got the hint and sat up straight to show his stomach for the snap.

“Day two, I had to purge, when I did, I knew I needed to consume the organ, we went to my lab to fetch it, brought it back running into Jazz on the way then when we got back to Med, ground it down, mixed it with the minerals for gestating a frame into some med grade an I drank it, the concoction was a brownish purple that tasted pretty good, I guess I worked myself up fer nothing, the sensation left me feelin warm an fuzzy, the critters were glad an then I got a massage, I needed some....fluid exchange” Wheeljack replied, watching Perceptor get excited and press a switch.

“Excellent! I'm glad you got at least one thing right today, I'll need to dissect the beast to see if I can find something new with it” Perceptor replied.

“Are you happy now? Ratchet replied.

“Not yet, Wheeljack, can I? What are they doing?” Perceptor reached and Wheeljack begrudging let him touch, pushing and rubbing at them as they cheerfully pushed into his servo.

“I think they like me” Perceptor said, placing his other onto the bulge that Wheeljack had swore grown since he consumed the concoction.

“Why don't you get implanted then?” Wheeljack retorted, annoyed at the sensation.

“Oh goodness, me carry? NO, besides, carrying will look much better on you than it ever could on me” Perceptor replied, poking at them.

“Can you stop now? I'm getting tired of people pokin at them...” Wheeljack complained.

“ It can't be that bad? Besides, you're a scientist, you should be honoured, just try not to blow yourself up or crash doing your silly stunts, if you ever so much as break the film on a single egg it could kill you” Perceptor said, pulling his servos away.

“JEE thanks, you're a great support” Wheeljack replied sarcasm oozing from his glossa.

“Tsk Tsk, this one's moody, can't imagine how much he'd whine being spiked” Perceptor laughed, looking towards Ratchet.

“Percy... just go dissect that thing already” Ratchet replied, spouting a venomous tone.

“I guess I got carried away, I will do that, won't take more than an hour or two, stay tuned.” Perceptor replied, leaving the area.

“Why's Percy being such an aft to me lately... I mean, he usually is but lately...” Wheeljack had dealt with Percy for quite a long time, they did in fact tease each other but he felt he was taking it too far lately.

“I'm not going to try to defend him, but he may have contacted the Wildlife Preservation Agreement or whatever, they may be demanding results, this really is a big thing you're doing Jackie, we'll have to bring it up to him later...” Ratchet replied.

“This just keeps getting more and more complex....more and more individuals seem to be appearing, ugh, how damn badly can one bot screw up” Wheeljack said.

“I'd expect no less from someone as talented as you, but even when you screwed up you still got back up, how many times have I put you back together?” Ratchet asked.

“By this point I’ve stopped counting, but this is different-” 

“Wheeljack, every time you blew yourself up, you got put back together and you tried again, the portal may have gotten you in this state, but we now no longer need a space bridge and slow travel to explore planets.” Ratchet interrupted to continue.

“My frame is on the line here, my legitimacy as a scientific mind...” Wheeljack looked down.

“You've been tortured by Cons and never given up information, I put you back together after that, you've created many things and I think gestating a critically endangered species will be seen as a brave and selfless move, I'm sure you can ask for anonymity, which will only make your exploits seem more selfless, Jackie, you are brilliant!'” Ratchet said, utterly entranced in his bond.

“You're right, I am brilliant, once built a converter for the humans, they said the same thing, you're right, I am a great scientific mind” Wheeljack responded, tone much more cheerful now.

“There's the mind I fell helm over pedes for, give me that passion, you beautiful mad science geek” Ratchet smiled, Wheeljack and himself laughing.

“So where were we?” Ratchet replied grabbing his bond by the hip.

“You were inside me, should we continue?” Wheeljack mewled.

“Of course” Ratchet replied, pushing him into the berth, overcome with need and want, he wanted to overload, leave his bond dripping with his fluid, hear him beg for his spike.

Ratchet plunged himself into his bond, pumping fast and hard, usually he'd work up to it but he had the need to go hard and fast.

“Ratch......Ratchet..... slow.......slow down....I want to overload too ya know” Wheeljack whimpered, irritated at his bonds impatience.

His plea was met with Ratchet pushing his full weight onto his chassis, but still carefully avoiding crushing his tender abdomen, he felt the brood shift with every hit against his interior node, causing him to mewl and whine.

“Just shut up and enjoy the ride” Ratchet growled, Wheeljack smirking as his bond talked down to him.

Wheeljack felt himself overload and the brood all decided to push outwards at the same time, shifting the plates and pushing at all his tender insides as Ratchet's fluids washed throughout his valve, their session was quicker and shorter than what he had liked it to be, but he couldn't complain, he still enjoyed it.

“Ratchet.......” Wheeljack said as Ratchet removed himself, Wheeljack closing his fluids into his valve.

“Jackie....I'm sorry...I just needed to” Ratchet stared at his bond and focused on his filled panel which dripped an ever so small amount of his fluids.

“I managed to overload at least but if I tell you to slow down, please slow down...anyway..... how long am I suppose to keep the fluids in my valve for.” Wheeljack responded, quickly getting over it, there was more important things to worry about.

“ About an hour or two, your body will absorb most of it, just remember our safe word...” Ratchet replied.

“Spanner” both bots agreed.

Ratchet cleaned himself and wiped around Wheeljack's interface panel, it didn’t take long for Perceptor to return, making sure to knock first and get a go ahead before he entered.

“I had a look inside the creature, it did indeed die from implanting it's young” Perceptor replied.

“Do you have anything more to add? How big are these things going to get Percy, what's going to happen to my frame?” Wheeljack asked frantically, trying to hide the fact that he was filled with transfluid and still high from his overload.

“There's..... there's no way to tell at this stage, all we can do is wait, but what I have found out is that when they are birthed, they are still covered in the film and will hatch a day or so after, they grow inside a host mostly to avoid the harsh environment, I tried to get more information from the Wildlife Preservation Committee but they aren't much help, the only thing they want from you is results, they have no care about your 'personal hardships' Wheeljack, I'm sorry....they are going to continue growing and I'm afraid you’re going to get much larger.... the Committee sees you entirely as a carrier, nothing more, they're gonna keep this all confidential and will claim the brood when it's birthed and give you a large sum of 'insurance'” Perceptor replied.

“GREAT just great, this 'insurance' better be good, at least I’ll be spared the indignity of being known as the genius who got knocked up by some tentacle creature” Wheeljack replied, already tired.

“This will still help our case, we'll worry about that tomorrow with Jazz, for now, lets all just get some rest” Ratchet interjected.

“All good, I'll continue analysis, I'll also have the results from the chemical analysis on the substance you extracted from Wheeljack's tank” Perceptor replied.

“Excellent, alright Jackie, wanna sleep in your own berth tonight? You're relieved of being tied to this room” Ratchet asked.

“I do, nobody's active right now right? I gotta repair my guard, but I feel like I just don't care if people look at my face anymore.” Wheeljack replied.

“There's certainly nothing wrong with it, Ironhide is covered in scratches and scars and wears them proud, you're a perfectly dashing bot with nothing he needs to hide, but you should still fix it for battle and work reasons” Perceptor replied.

“Yeah, I guess, seems my scars aren't that bad, been overblowin them I think, definitely gonna fix my guard in a few days, alright, I'm ready for recharge” Wheeljack exclaimed.

“We got mess to prepare to clean up tomorrow” Ratchet said, taking his bond's servo and marching towards their berth.

 

A loud knock reverberated through Wheeljack's and Ratchet's berth at exactly 0900 hours, neither bot was on duty and they were hoping to recharge till a later time in, considering the last couple of days.

“Come on in” Wheeljack yelled sitting up and feeling the weight in his abdomen shift, it wasn't something he was going to get used to, he touched a servo to the bulge and realised it had definitely grown.

He stood upon aching pedes in front of their mirror and turned to the side to see just how bad it was, he no longer looked like he had drank to much energon, but it looked like he was properly beginning his first stage of a frame build, “no wonder Jazz was curious, It's already starting to show....scrap” Wheeljack thought.

“Aren't you gonna let us in?” a voice that matched Jazz rang out.

“Sorry, thought it was unlocked” Ratchet stood up, his pedes aching as he opened the door.

“Sorry for being this early, I'm quite busy later on and this timeslot was what I had, we got two hours to figure out a case....is he ok?” Jazz gestured to Wheeljack who was frowning at his form in the mirror.

“I don't think so, he spent far too long scrubbing himself last night, scratched the paint off his hip a bit, it's healing...” Ratchet replied.

“Wheeljack! WHEELJACK” Perceptor yelled, attempting to get his attention.

“WHA! OH, sorry, just..... trying to come to terms with this, hi Jazz hey Percy, what's the agenda?” Wheeljack replied quickly regaining himself.

“We're here to figure out a case remember, how to prevent everything from blowing out of proportion, also, here's the chemical results from the test, as you can see some chemicals are similar to those found in Cybertronians,” Perceptor replied.

“I know, hence the use of AGENDA Percy, and the liquid worked on me very well, I know what it does to you...” Wheeljack replied aggressively.

“Claiming this to be an accident is the only way, Perceptor has informed me that any information was hidden behind walls that couldn’t be accessed unless a certain criteria was met, meaning you had no idea of the danger that was there, you were very well equipped in weapons arsenal but the attack was so sudden you had no idea.... is this correct? This will be written in the handouts” Jazz asked.

“To an extent, I'll be truthful and say I was 'attacked' by the beast the first two times..... but I swear, I didn't know it would do THIS to me Jazz” Wheeljack gestured to his abdomen.

“I understand Wheeljack, by 'attacked do you mean...” Jazz stopped.

“Yes... it must have selected me for a reason” Wheeljack didn't dare mention Ratchet's involvement the second time.

“I can confirm.....I did the checks and only mentioned what I needed to mention.” Ratchet replied.

“I have all the biological information I could find to back everything up, Wheeljack will be well taken care of by our team, the extra energon I scavenged and the reserves on the world Wheeljack has access to will help the brood to grow strong, when they are birthed the Wildlife Preservation Committee or WPC for short will take them and put them into a conservation program, Wheeljack also gets a hefty reward, everything is under control” Perceptor replied.

“We got the beginning of a good case here, be aware that Prowl will ask for every single detail, make sure you have scans, prints, information and even map the inside of his valve knowing that psycho, Wheeljack, Perceptor, what are the chances of another attack happening if we used the portal?” Jazz prodded.

“Probably pretty low, the species is rarely ever seen on the planet, Wheeljack just so happened to strike a large luck- I mean unlucky streak, besides, there's an odour that the beasts seem to heavily dislike, it's a scent that resembles what the humans use to loosen up metal, Water Displacement Formula. On the other hand, they are attracted to the scent of transfluid emitted when a bot is aroused it seems.” Perceptor added.

“IT'S THAT EASY....ugh” Wheeljack was frustrated to find out that one of the things most abundant in his lab was a deterrent.

“This seems like a pretty good case, Wheeljack....I hope you're doing ok, I know you're gonna get through this, you're important to the team, and I'm warning you that in future you may be called upon to replace and upgrade computers, in the meantime, you're on call, First Aid will let us know if he can come back tomorrow during the meeting... Ratchet, take extra care of this bot, I'm needed elsewhere, Con activity” Jazz rushed off.

“That was unexpected... why are they rearing now?” Perceptor asked.

“Who knows, we'll have to ask one of the scouts or wait till tomorrow's report, for today we'll print and gather paperwork for tomorrow, Prowl's gonna grill you hard Jackie, gotta bite it and not break, I'll be right next to you the whole time ok.” Ratchet said rubbing a shoulder.

“I know...well on the positive side, at least our monthly meeting is early and I can get it over with quicker, I mean, I've actually got something to show from my experiment and they can't give me that low grade slag now” Wheeljack chuckled, trying to find some silver lining.

“You're right, we gotta head to the labs and then med to get another scan of your insides, then we relax the rest of the day and prepare ourselves mentally for tomorrow, analyzing Earth audio visual services, gotta continue what we were watching the other day” Ratchet laughed, shifting his weight, obvious that his pedes were beginning to ache too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Obligatory walking in while interfacing scene.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Time for a meeting and some light diplomacy or whatever.

The meeting was scheduled at 1200, plenty of time for those to wake up and for those to travel back to base. It was scheduled to go for an unknown amount of time as these were unusual circumstances. 

In the morning Wheeljack had been questioned and photographed by Perceptor, anxiety ate at his processor at the thought of what would happen, these meetings were held at least once monthly on the last day, but this one was early and short notice and he knew it was because of him.

Wheeljack, Ratchet and Perceptor made sure they had arrived at the meeting earlier than any other with their documents, the thought of the others attending having to see Wheeljack's shifted frame made him nauseous from stress, his bulge so obvious now as he began what would be dubbed as just after 'the first stage of frame building” but there was no frame, so he didn't know what to call it, but he knew it's presence within him was obvious and it's development faster than he was prepared for.

The second to arrive was Optimus Prime, followed closely by Jazz who was obviously miffed about having to take minutes this time, Prowl would be doing them next time thankfully. They took their positions and nodded in understanding and sympathy towards Wheeljack. He knew this meeting would certainly be taxing on his mental standing.

Prowl arrived after and gave a look of pure annoyance at Wheeljack, usually he loved these meetings, but perhaps he had to cancel one of his torturous security checks to attend it, all Wheeljack did know was that he was venomous and that meant trouble.

It didn't take too much longer for everyone to arrive, they all looked either concerned or annoyed at having to trek here on such short notice, these types of meetings were only made up of leaders that were on Earth, the ones on Cybertron were not included. When everyone was seated, Jazz passed around the agenda. Each noted Wheeljack's bare face but most paid hardly any care to it, they were all preoccupied with the agenda to voice their opinions of it, besides, each bot knew about the scar, it was certainly not as bad as they thought it would be from descriptions of the incident they had read centuries ago and Wheeljacks avoidance of allowing them to see.

“Afternoon everyone, I am Optimus Prime, head of this ship and leader have called this meeting early to discuss an important issue that has occurred, I thank you all for coming here on such short notice, I'd like you to introduce yourselves going around and would like to inform you that when we reach the issue of Wheeljack's 'experiment' there will be a guest attending by video” Optimus tried his best to sound both welcoming and strict.

“I'm Jazz, second in command, I'll be taking minutes and sharing Con activity reported by scouts and myself” Jazz chimed, prepared to, but not happy about taking minutes.

“Prowl, head of security, WHS and law specialist” Prowl furrowed staring at Wheeljack.

“Silverbolt here, leader of Superion and the Aerial bots, came here for this meeting, why do we need to do this every time?” Silverbolt listened intently but the meetings always felt the same.

“First Aid, stand in for Hot Spot who is leader of the Protectobots and Defensor, also the team's leading medical officer and second in command of medical operations when here on base, currently working with humans for alliance purposes” 

“Marissa Faireborn, Captain of Human Defence Force and the liaison officer to the Autobots, I believe it's been two months since you've all seen me, I apologise for this.” 

“Wheeljack, Head of Mechanical Engineering, engineering science, weapons and technology, some biology and other related things, sometimes ya gotta multi-task ya know” Wheeljack attempted to shoot some humour in, he noticed Marissa stifle a laugh.

“Ratchet, Chief Medical Operations, Head of Medical and Medical Sciences, MD and PHDs”

“Perceptor, Head of science Misc, Biology, Biochemistry and Bioengineering, I dabble in a bit of this and that but they're my majors” 

“Thank you for your introductions, these meetings sometimes involve a different set of individuals, but today we have the usuals, we'll open with our stocks, which are dwindling in energon reserves, we have roughly two to three months left thanks to Perceptor's findings” Optimus said.

“I got a week's extra from my portal, it's safe as long as ya spray yerself with some Water Displacement Formula to avoid the feisty wildlife, there's an over abundance so we're free ta nab some as we please” Wheeljack threw in.

“We got more than enough Med Grade and my tools are high in numbers, I've made sure we got a good deal of medicines as well, Medical is well equipped” Ratchet tossed in, always quick and to the point to avoid unnecessary drag in meetings.

“The military has a surplus of materials that can be given to you if you need it, just ask” Marissa chimed.

“As long as we bend our will to your government” Prowl replied.

“We only ask for a small amount, and besides, four more months of energon, our assistance and high quality military grade parts is worth the trade for a new weapon that your striped mechanic here can make in an hour” Marissa said, looking towards Wheeljack who was seated next to her.

“Excuse me? When was this decided?” Wheeljack was confused alright.

“Oh, sorry, yesterday after Cons were discovered checking out your base, the military is willing to help as long as you can create a weapon we can use-”

“To attack your own citizens?” Jazz interrupted.

“NO, you have it all wrong, this is really to benefit you and besides, if you refuse, you'll be targeted yourselves, please understand I'm simply the messenger here.” Marissa said frantically, obvious she was telling the truth.

Wheeljack unhooked a small grenade launcher embedded in his wrist he was going to upgrade in a few weeks and placed it down. 

“Ya got this, figure out how to use it yaselves an if ya use it against humans, we're out.” Wheeljack knew the supplies were important, he also knew the power of the weapon and that the humans were not going to be able to use it to it's full extent without his expertise, the schematics for the upgraded version were drawn weeks ago so it was useless to him now anyway.

“OH, that was quick, thank you, we'll enjoy our continued partnership” Marissa pulled the launcher towards her, it was around the same size as her, she took a photograph and shot it through a message, she'd have to ask for help from one of the bots later to transport it if dispatch wasn't available.

Prowl shot a glare at Wheeljack again, prying into his optics, Wheeljack returned the glare but put in his innermost Hatchet to shoot back.

“Moving on... as Marissa mentioned, Cons were scouting us out, they probably think our energon shortage is worse than it is, I say we make ourselves look vulnerable, set up and shoot em with something strong, like the immobilizer” Jazz chimed.

“Member it don't kill, and if we take em prisoner we have to fuel them, and we're gonna need the energon, best case is ta scare em a lil then let em go cryin back to Megs” Wheeljack said, gripping his stomach as he tried to quiet down the brood, looking upwards in case anyone saw.

“Wheeljack is right, we can't afford to lose any energon, specially with what's to come” Jazz added, looking towards Wheeljack, who met his optics and shied away.

“So, if they attack, we need to make sure there is proper defence, we have the skill and home terf advantage, I could call back the Aerial Bots and Aid could call for the Protecto bots for backup, lead em in for an attack” Silverbolt added, he was usually only present in these meetings solely to report back on what the Aerial Bots were up to, he had no activity to report this meeting so he was quiet.

“This all sounds promising, but I need many of you to lie in the field in case the Cons attack the humans, they are known to use feints, here at home we'll need to make sure our defences are up and make sure that the scouts, warriors and security are ready for an attack, which we already are and others are already prepared, Wheeljack will need to regularly check the systems and reinforce them if there are gaps, First Aid, I will need you here at home base to help Ratchet, we'll go into details soon” Optimus replied, noticing Wheeljack beginning to vent, he dreaded having to bring this up, but this was the main focus for the meeting.

“I received word you'd need me back and I discussed it with the humans already, they are fine with it as they have Rook and Medix, I will certainly be able to come back to base for around two Earth months” First Aid said, noting Ratchet's relief, he'd been briefed to some extent by Jazz previously.

“An associate is going to be attending from the Wildlife Preservation Committee, they wish to remain anonymous, they will be attending through this screen” Perceptor stood up, turning it on, then setting up and passing around scans, pictures, samples and biological information for those to read if they wish.

“Ahh yes, Wheeljack, share with us your experiment, you did it four days ago, you mentioned earlier you yielded results in the form of energon and it seems we can harvest from there if we need, says here you picked up a 'contaminant', mind showing us what?” Prowl asked, staring through what he could see of his frame.

“Yes.... I'll get into that when-” Wheeljack was cut off by the loud booming voice that leaked through the screen, a dark figure appeared.

“Hello, I cannot reveal my form or name, I know it's cliché of me to conceal myself like this but to organise a better set up on short notice is more difficult than you can expect, now, Wheeljack was it? Tell us how you're coping with being implanted with the beautiful, critically rare and endangered Vespiaphose” the room could feel the grin through the dark presence.

“Wait? Implanted? Like as in you're carrying something?” Marissa added, utterly confused and speaking for most of the room, soon receiving the information.

“Wheeljack, what happened to you, did you put yourself in harms way for this? Jazz was rather vague about details, even in the description” Optimus asked concerned.

“Well, you see, he's carrying thirteen eggs within his gestational chamber, the information of the creature is within those papers being passed out, here is a visual video scan of their movements within, absolutely fascinating stuff, the outside is a thin but tough leathery film that will stretch as they grow, this was recorded yesterday, as you can see they are very much alive and growing within, we're not sure how big they'll get but their presence makes the carrier believe they are sparked in Cybertronians, but I now believe it amplifies the feeling, in the fifty days of gestation, I believe Wheeljack is possibly going to go through changes too which will be closely monitored and mapped for future references” 

Perceptor was far too excited and talked almost as if he had no care for Wheeljack's well being, he knew he didn't mean it, he knew it was part of what he thought he was prepared for, but now everyone knew, he looked at the faces of each individual who looked a mix of shocked and disgusted, some going so far as to cover their intakes with servos or gag, except for Marissa who looked utterly confused.

“Umm, I'm sorry if this comes off as inconsiderate, but what does 'sparked' mean and if you're a male Cybertronian, why do you have a gestational chamber? I'm not exactly aware of your, err, biology, for lack of a better word” Marissa asked, trying to be considerate, tossing black hair out of her narrow eyes with a quick flick of her hand.

“Sparked means carrying, a spark is created through a meld, say a zygote would be the closest comparison I can think of, a gestational chamber is for construction of a frame, say a developing foetus in the womb, and male and female to us is comparable but different to yours, both Mechs and Femmes are capable of producing offspring, our pronouns for a Mech are similar to those of your Males and Femmes to your Females when it comes to translations, we focus as much for 'gender' as you humans, but we acknowledge each others pronouns.” Ratchet paused.

“The main differences between a Mech and a Femme are our frame types, our vocalisers, energon burning and some other physical features. Sometimes a sparked or previously sparked Mech can appear to look similar to a Femme as wide hips and thighs are needed to birth new frames, or some Femmes appear as looking like Mechs, others change their frames to something they prefer. Some would say I myself appear more femme because my hips and thighs are thicker, but I am a Mech, we in fact have both parts” Ratchet said, putting what he knows of humans to the test.

“I think I get it, us humans have different body and bone structure types too, so like, you're hermaphrodites essentially? Robots that can have babies, now I’ve heard everything...are you sure he has to go through with the carrying?” Marissa looked at Wheeljack concerned.

“Even if he didn't get poisoned if an attempt to remove the brood was tried, he'd still have no choice but to go through with it, the continuation of this species is important” The figure on the TV said.

“But, what about his rights? His autonomy? This could be dangerous for him do you even care?” Marissa said, concern overcoming her.

“It's all forfeit at this point, he's nothing but a carrier and he will be insured well, if he dies during it, well, he can't or someone is getting charged for negligence, if he dies after delivering the brood, we'll give the insurance to, whatever your Cybertronian equivalent to next of kin is, you're all just warmongering monsters without a care, the least you could do is help these creatures” The figure said, no emotion in his voice.

Marissa looked at Wheeljack who looked as if he just lost all the energon in his body, Marissa got up onto the table and placed her hands on his servo, she was one of the few who was aware to some extent. She looked into his optics with extreme sympathy, Wheeljack felt the presence and was thankful for her for standing up for him, he picked her up and put her back onto her seat, she looked towards his abdomen, realising what was truly happening.

“This has to be against the rules” Ratchet said.

“It's all legal Ratchet, I just read through, we all have no choice, everyone of us is stuck taking care of his aft and cleaning up this mess, he better not die or we're out a medic and two great scientists” Prowl blurted, probably the kindest thing he could say about Wheeljack.

There was deafening silence as the weight of the situation filled the room, each bot and human concerned over the well-being of their comrade, First Aid further understanding why he was needed.

“Well, let's see what he looks like, stand up carrier” The voice asked.

“Do I have to? This is embarrassing enough...” Wheeljack said.

“The Committee needs to get a glimpse” The voice says.

“Wheeljack....” Prime had been uncharacteristically silent, he simply had no words for what was unfolding.

“Wheeljack, the faster you do this, the faster this meeting is adjourned, all of us want to get out including you, so please, just get on your pedes” Prowl joined.

“Wheeljack put his servos above and below the bulge as he stood, he turned himself to the side and knew the things were pushing outwards, slightly shifting the plates that lined it, fluids filled his optics as he felt their stares, in reality it was all out of sympathy, everyone knew then that this was going to have to be solved by each of them, other members would have to know eventually or too many questions would be asked.

“Ahh, coming along nicely, you Cybertronians are better breeders than fighters, perhaps you should reconsider, it's fitting that you should end on another world where the dominant species is also killing it's planet out of greed, you both deserve each other, we look forward to seeing you again in future but more for the brood, Committee out” The screen went blank.

Wheeljack sat back down, completely overcome with his emotions of being paraded in front of the congregation, it's bad enough they saw the activity, but to see his changing frame? It was certainly overbearing, he cuddled up close to his bond who was seated next to him, feeling his comforting caress on his helm and kindly lips against his bare cheek, Marissa observed this, completely new was the idea that these alien beings cared so much about each other and were so physical, their interaction suggested they were extremely close, she'd have to ask after.

The congregation fell silent, everyone in the meeting speechless about what had happened and the contempt the representative seemed to have for both species within the room. The mistreatment of a fellow Autobot, to see them as being nothing but a carrier, was daunting, nobody dared speak until the silence was cut by none other than Optimus Prime.

“As you can see, Wheeljack needs all of us to assist in his situation as much as is able from each of you, Perceptor you are the only other capable of using the portal, you must make sure Wheeljack is well fuelled and that the occupants grow acceptably, Ratchet you know what you need to do already, Wheeljack, each of us is here to assist you if need be, these occupants cannot be lost and we cannot lose a valuable member, I know all of you wish to leave now, so as of now, you are all dismissed, I apologise for this meeting being anticlimactic” 

“Everyone slowly left the congregation, some trying not to look at Wheeljack and others nodding at him. Wheeljack was thankful he didn't need to explain the attack to the congregation, he remembered every detail far too vividly. Ratchet held him tight as he waited for all the others to leave before they did, but they noticed Marissa, who was unable to contact her higher ups.

“Ugh, how am I meant to transport this to base...” She said furiously.

“How bout I help? I haven't been out in a few days and I need the mileage, might be a lil cramped inside but I can take ya fer a spin” Wheeljack said, realising it might help him clear his processor of what happened as he scooped up the weapon and the small human into his servos, he nodded at Ratchet who returned the gesture and headed back as Wheeljack walked to the exit and transformed, glad his alt was currently unaffected by his changing figure.

“Damn, a Lancia Stratos Oh man, what a beauty” Marissa said tracing along his hood.

“Don't touch too much please unless you're planning on giving me a wash, just get in and I’ll drive you and the weapon where we need to go, gotta take it easy though, can't damage you or these things” Wheeljack said opening his door allowing her to enter, she was certainly amused.

“Why such a flashy car? Aren't you suppose to be in disguise? Wow, this seats pretty comfortable” Marissa asked putting her seatbelt on.

“It suits my frame the most and please, do NOT touch my insides, I absolutely don't allow humans to control me” Wheeljack replied frantically.

“I won't, is radio ok?” She asked,

“Just this once, but any trash and it's off” Wheeljack said firmly.

There was silence, the radio had been turned off as Wheeljack trailed through dirt roads and forests to the nearby military base, it was still about a two hours drive at an Autobots leisurely pace and well hidden from the public, attempting to drive as carefully as he could even though he wished to speed through all the muddy puddles that were formed by the recent wet weather, it was about twenty minutes into the trip when Marissa started a conversation.

“You're a rally car right? You also liked stunt driving I once heard, why aren't you doing either? Also, you usually cover your face with a mask, why the change?” 

“It got broken and I sorta like having it off now, everyone says the scar ain't too bad anyway and I gotta watch myself and you, I usually throw myself around n get all mucky then go back and cleanse, I also don't want any human purge on my seats, I'm great at manoeuvring and one of the fastest bots on base... why didn't yer friends pick ya up?” Wheeljack retorted.

“Well the scar, it's not that bad, makes you look bad ass and you can drive a little faster and crazier with me, I’ve been trained to go to space and they said there was some kind of emergency at base, I've gotta ask, what was with that display with the medic?” Marassia asked, curiously.

“Fine, but if you purge yer payin fer my seats to be professionally cleaned, that 'medic' is my sparkbond, Ratchet, been together longer than yer lil civilization probably, long, long time, couldn't imagine life without him” Wheeljack said, speeding up feeling dirt spray from his tires.

“Sparkbond? Is that like marriage? Yeah, this is how we role” Marissa said, holding on as Wheeljack reached a much faster speed and twisted around bends, still throwing her around despite her tight grip.

“It means our sparks are one, I can feel him and he can feel me, kinda like yer human marriage but it actually means something, if I feel sad he feels sad, if I feel happy he feels happy, it's like connecting to your other half an everything feels like it all makes sense.” Wheeljack replied.

“Wow, sounds romantic.... sparks are your life force right? Do you two have sparklings? Your bond mentioned them when explaining your biology” Marissa asked, still holding on tight and being thrown about.

“Yes, they are our life force and no we don't but one day we will....at least we hope we will” Wheeljack replied somberly.

“Sorry if I struck a chord, I hope everything goes well, we're learning more about each other each day, if you do have sparklings? I'd like to see them, would be fascinating to study” Marissa said.

“Yeah.... sure I guess if it happens, we're coming up to the base so you'll need to call them, here take this and we better get the delivery or else” Wheeljack replied, grateful she never brought up and asked about his condition.

“Thank you and see you next time, I hope everything goes well and also....I'm so sorry.” Marissa watched him speed away, she enjoyed the ride and in such a beautiful car too, she hoped he'd be ok.

When Wheeljack returned to base, the thoughts of what had occurred permeated through his processor, having to show his bulging stomach in front of everyone, Ratchet mentioning thickening hips and thighs at being sparked, meaning it would happen to his frame. Being seen not as a genius scientist donating his frame to the art, but instead a carrier and no more... he needed to cleanse, he felt dirty, which was what he did before he laid down to recharge but not before sculling two entire cubes of medium grade, he was so empty and tired, he was glad Ratchet was busy right now so he wouldn't see him like this, he just wanted to be cleansed and to recharge.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Taking minutes absolutely sucks, Cat has done it, meetings also suck.


	13. Chapter 13

Wheeljack onlined to the careful caress of gentle servo over his finial, his optics opened and connected it to Ratchet who was perusing his datapad at the same time, with what looked like Earth news, happenings and articles. Wheeljack felt nausea rise in his tank and pain in his pedes, back strut, hips and thighs groaning in response.

“Morning gorgeous, what'd you and that officer get up to yesterday?” Ratchet asked taking optics away the pad and focusing on the sickly tired frame.

“Ugh, I don't look or feel gorgeous Ratch don't lie, I just dropped er off at the base, was a good drive through the mud though, helped clear my processor, what'd you get up to?” Wheeljack asked, looking into his optics, nausea and aches all permeating through his frame.

“Shut up and take the compliment you beautiful stubborn aft, sounds like you needed that, I was just with First Aid yesterday explaining the new set up, our predicament and splitting the workload, I still have a shift a little later but my workloads been halved, or the other half will be dedicated to taking care of your shifting aft” Ratchet joked moving a servo and rubbing it over Wheeljack's aching hip and thigh.

“I see, does little good cos you'll just change the whole set up in a months time.....Ratch, I'm feelin real nauseous now, my pedes, struts, thighs and hips are killing me, I just feel so awful, think I'll take the day off....Ratchet..... I was thinking of what you said yesterday.... are my thighs gonna get bigger....are my hips gonna widen?” Wheeljack looked just as bad as he felt.

“You're feeling the pain and usually it's inevitable with gestation so yes..... but that's fine, you'll still be my sleek sexy speeder, do take the day off and relax, please don't push yourself” Ratchet continued massaging the area he watched his bonds expression change.

“You still gonna call me sleek when my frame is filled up?” Wheeljack snipped.

“Jackie, It's temporary, maybe your hips and thighs will be bigger but I bonded with you because you're you, everything else was just an extra part of the package and I think you'll still look cute with them, change is change and it happens, whether it's good or bad doesn't matter ok, because you're still the mech I bonded with, now go back into recharge but remember that Perceptor is going to photograph and interview you later” Ratchet placed a kiss on his helm and watched his expression soften.

“Alright fine, I'll try to online in a better mood ok” Wheeljack closed his optic.

“Primus, you're such a stubborn glitchhead sometimes Jackie” Ratchet said.

“Coming from you?” Wheeljack replied with a chuckle and a servo lightly slapping and rubbing at Ratchet's thigh.

Ratchet simply shook his head and sighed, stroking Wheeljack's frame tenderly as he explored new feelings on it, reading articles and information on his datapad ranging from human media to human biology which would come in handy if they were assigned some 'help' from them. 

It didn't take long for Wheeljack to fall back into recharge, his frame needed the rest from the combination of stress and overwork from the last month which was only amplified by the activities of the last five days. 

Ratchet listened to his bond's engine purr lightly, feeling his warm venting soften, his frame rise and fall as it took in and exchanged air and shift as energon coursed through lightly plated areas, his abdomen occasionally shifting from the unsettled brood. His resting frame always relaxed Ratchet and this moment would have been absolutely perfect if only the shifting inside were from the building of a frame for their sparkling, Ratchet cleared it from his processor frowning at the reality, pushing the thought away, he focused back to the datapad enjoying the silent company until he was needed for Prime's appointment at 14:00.

 

It was hard for Ratchet to pull himself away from his sleeping bond, he wanted to stay and comfort him instead, but appointments are appointments and his duties were also important, Ratchet too felt slightly nauseous and had pains in his pedes putting them on the ground, feeling the slight side effects from his sparklink, he couldn't imagine how bad his bond was feeling if he only had a third of what he felt.

Ratchet made his way to Medical and greeted First Aid, who was familiarising himself, Ratchet knew he'd have to get used to him being around but was thankful for his help. Ratchet prepared the 'spark energy neutraliser' contraceptive for implantation, making sure any tool he needed was around, they called them “bolts” for short, they worked by dissipating spark energy within the chamber preventing the creation of a new spark, they're success rate.... well Ratchet had never had to remove a spark from someone with them and neither him nor Wheeljack had been sparked while on them and they interfaced and bonded quite a bit so he'd say they were extremely successful.

“Afternoon Ratchet, need any assistance? All I’ve been doing lately is familiarising myself, cleaning everything and sending away medicines for the other teams and to humans, no I'm not giving them our secrets, you know me” First Aid said not taking an eye off what he was doing.

“What you're doing is fine, you can take the rest of the afternoon off if you want to, I'll be on for the afternoon and night” Ratchet replied, his usual monotonous tone filling the atmosphere, he lifted up his pedes and twisted them around every now and again to keep them loose and try to shrug off the pain.

“By assistance I mean should I take a look at you? I know you check yourself out but sometimes you have a bad habit of putting everything else first, there are some things you need someone else's opinion on and with Wheeljack's condition it could be affecting you physically and mentally too, further causing you to neglect yourself and no, I will not be taking the afternoon and night off” First Aid said assertively.

“I'll be fine, it's just side effects from our bond, worry about the others, specially Hide with his conditions, Wheeljack is my responsibility too but when he's..... due.... I'll need you then” Ratchet replied melancholy.

“I'm gonna bug you until you let me check you out, consider this a warning, your pedes and legs have increased in energon retention levels ever so slightly by the way and I can see from your faceplates that you have been having unsuccessful recharge and that you're stress levels are elevated compared to the already elevated state you're usually in--” First Aid was cut off.

“That's enough, if I wanted your opinion I'd ask for it” Ratchet interrupted.

“But you're always stubborn and sometimes downright neglectful of your own health especially during crisis, I know you try to keep it up but sometimes you need to reach out and accept it from others” First Aid drilled, watching Ratchet go quiet as he continued setting up.

“I'll grab Prime then” First Aid walked off, he'd won this argument and probably pissed him off in the process, but to him it was a good thing.

Ratchet stood over the operating table, watching Optimus walk on in and lie on it. 

“You know the drill already, peak open your spark chamber a tad and it's only a few minutes long and not too invasive, I'll apply a local anaesthetic tell me when you don't feel anything, after this you don't have to worry for a few years” Ratchet was devoid of any tone to his vocaliser.

“It's always uncomfortable bearing your spark to someone, even if it's only part of the chamber” Optimus said.

“To some yes, to others no, I myself always place Wheeljack's and my own, neither one of us wants anyone else to see” Ratchet replied, sticking the local anaesthetic into key areas to nub it for removal and replacement of bolts.

To many Cybertronians, sparks were only meant to be seen by those who they trusted most, the ones who they bonded with, although, many young bots had a different perspective and felt comfortable showing them anywhere, Ratchet was happy for them, but he himself wouldn't dare parade his like they did at least not nowadays. Once upon a time at parties he'd revealed it and many bots did get to see and even meld with him before he and Wheeljack became bonded, now his spark was only for the optics of Wheeljack.

“How is Wheeljack, yesterday I stopped the meeting abruptly because I felt it was becoming overbearing for him, I believed it was the right decision, but there will be another and I fear the next one he will be further along” Optimus questioned, both Ratchet and himself.

“ He's not doing too well today, his whole frame is aching and it's.....changing.....it's changing all too fast for either of us to deal with, if he was sparked we could prepare for them.... but this....it's too quick neither of us are equipped...... Optimus I believe you made the right decision” Ratchet felt out of character, he'd said too much and stopped to answer his opinion on his leaders choice, he poked at the numbed area to see if Prime had any reaction before he started removing the tiny round shape.

“Ratchet, we're all here to help you, if you need it, do ask for it, Wheeljack too, we're a team” Optimus replied, looking away from Ratchet's work.

“Five days it's been, five days and signs of being halfway through the first stage of frame creation, it's suppose to be for fifty, you can see what's happening to his small frame, the size of them already....what's gonna happen when he's at twenty? Thirty? Forty? I can't just sit and watch those things.....I don't want to think about it” Ratchet again was uncharacteristically letting his spark out, five days and the link was showing signs on him too, his emotional state, it also explained Wheeljack's state and Ratchet's strange craving for some mineral.

Ratchet removed the old bolt and carefully placed in the new one, closing it all up and directing to Optimus that he could close his chamber, Optimus was silent, unable to think of a response or to stay silent waiting for Ratchet to continue, he knew history, politics and battle, he did not know counselling, but he did know how to listen and offer comfort to an extent.

“We don't know what's going to happen, that's why we're all monitoring him and we're all going to work together to make sure he's ok and that you are coping too, because clearly this is taking it's toll on you as well, please Ratchet, we're all here to help you and Wheeljack through this” Optimus sat up and slowly reached a servo towards Ratchet's upper arm, watching his movement and when he didn't pull away, he placed it carefully and squeezed firmly.

“Thanks...but I can't lose him... I just can't....for the first time in so long I'm lost” Ratchet replied, placing a servo over Optimus's.

“You won't and you're not the only one who's 'lost', I know you know that I'm still just winging it as leader, the matrix was thrust upon me only a short while ago, well to the humans it would be a long time, you see, we must look to the counsel of friends and team mates for aid when we need it” Optimus said pulling his servo away, noticing that his touch was irritating Ratchet who rarely let anybody besides Wheeljack even enter his electric field.

“Again, thank you, I guess I should try accepting help sometimes too.” Ratchet gave Optimus a half smile to say he was ok.

“I guess you want me to leave now, but please, talk to Jazz, Aid, me if you need to please.” Optimus watched Ratchet's expression and knew that it was time to leave, he'd replaced his 'bolt' and talked his audials off, he was also needed elsewhere.

When Ratchet cleaned up he walked out towards First Aid who was scribbling down notes.

“Aid, I'd like to apologise for my behaviour earlier, I'd like you to give me a quick check up and see if there's anything I've missed” Ratchet asked, coming to terms that yes, sometimes you really did need help and that it was ok to reach out.

First Aid had checked Ratchet from helm to pede to make sure he was coping with his link.

“I know that these things are meant to mimic gestation, and will probably cause the same needs that would come with one and from what I can see you're doing pretty well for a first time link, you're getting a little energon retention but you know that's quite normal, it's possible it'll get worse as he progresses, but it's nothing too damaging, more an irritant.....well to you anyway” First Aid poked a servo at Ratchet's faceplate, teasing that his glare will soften with it.

Ratchet stared back at him venomously.

“Yeah, Yeah, keep doing that, because that glare of yours is gonna be softer for a bit, which will be bad for you, good for patients and hilarious for me grumpy aft, also make sure you start to increase your energon intake a bit and add minerals, it'll help you feel more charged after recharge and give you fluids to help your bond, you two are gonna have to interface.... a lot, the faster growth will mean you may have to double the usual amount, your frames will direct you for that, do listen to them, there is a medication you can take to block carry over from your link, you know what it entails but only do it if it's entirely necessary” First Aid paused.

“And if you feel stressed try your usual self care methods or seek out one of the crew to talk to about your problems if your bond is busy, he'll be needing lots of refuels, recharging, massaging love, cuddles and interfacing, make sure you give him that, but don't forget about yourself, now I'm gonna prescribe you the rest of the night off to spend with your bond, get your aft out of my medbay” First Aid finished with a servo gesture, telling him to get lost, he knew that Ratchet knew what he needed to do, but First Aid had to give him a little kick in the aft. This is why he was one of the few bots Ratchet liked to work with, because he didn't take his slag and did his job well all with a kindly demeanour.

Ratchet returned to see that all the lights were off, he only noticed Wheeljack by his biolights which gave the room strange mood lighting, he saw that the mirror had been covered up with a sheet and that he was on the bed sipping a glowing mineral filled energon cube with tears in his optics watching some kind of horror movie, which looked to be just starting, one of his servos clutched and caressed the shape of his abdomen, slowly tracing it.

“Wheeljack? What in the pits of Kaon is going on?” Ratchet was confused and concerned.

“Percy kept poking my stomach, I got upset at the mirror so I covered it, the bastards are playing up and only stop when I’m rubbing them right now, I was so empty and thought I'd put on this movie I heard was good, it's by the same guy that made that awesome creepy alien shape-shifter movie and it's about a guy looking for a writer and everything goes crazy, c'mon it just started watch it!” Wheeljack demanded.

Ratchet sat down and Wheeljack climbed into his lap, Ratchet wrapped his servos around his bond, gripping him tightly and placed them over the bulge of his tummy.

“Please, please make them stop moving, everything hurts, please hold me and don't let go I don't want you to let go” Wheeljack was frantic.

“Ok, I won't ask anymore questions...sounds like an interesting movie, the other one was fantastic and I won't let you go ok” Ratchet carefully caressed and rubbed at it, the presence beneath calming at his touch, he felt each of the small eggs individually when he kneaded between the plates, the outlines of which were obvious, destroying any pleasure he derived from imagining it being a frame. The physical feeling and his empty spark always reminding him of the reality of what dwelt within.

Eventually the presence stopped bothering him as he fell into the allure of the film, the strange world and ever changing reality that the protagonist was dealing with drew them both in and before they knew it, the film had finished and it was if the adventure never happened, only the protagonist was aware, it made both bots question their own reality, was anything real? It's all based on your perception perhaps?.

“That was interesting, I liked the weird visuals and unusual presence, but I'm kinda just questioning everything” Wheeljack blurted.

“Yeah, it was great, I can hear your thoughts in our link.... hey we've seen that actor in other movies like that spaceship one and the dinosaur one right?” Ratchet asked.

“Haha yeah, it's him! I'm tired, lets recharge, I'm gonna have to start being on my side or back, it's getting too uncomfortable to sleep, ya think you can get something to help? To make sleeping with these things easier?” Wheeljack said, moving off of Ratchet and lying down turning towards him, clutching himself.

“I'll get the proper stuff, but for now...” Ratchet grabbed some pillows and moved Wheeljacks frame around, placing them at optimal supporting areas.

“This will work?” Wheeljack said, shifting into them.

“Yeah, for now” Ratchet placed himself carefully behind him, wrapping a servo under his neck and placing another on his belly, lightly gripping it and pulling him towards him.

“It's nicer to recharge in your servos” Wheeljack's engine purred, the sound lulling Ratchet into his own recharge, Ratchet made sure to return the gesture as he purred own his engine, drifting into recharge.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You can probably guess the movies, we doing the reference things.


	14. Chapter 14

The sixth day of gestation was rather uneventful, Wheeljack again had spent the day recharging, refuelling, watching Earth TV with Ratchet and was asked the daily questions and observations by Perceptor, Wheeljack refused to look in the mirror all day, he also refused to take the sheet off of it.

The seventh day was different, rather than stay in his berth he instead had to be in his lab for Prowl's scheduled assessment, he was hoping that Prowl wouldn't pry into his frame and would take it easy on him, he did show some form of emotion and care during the meeting, perhaps he had a spark after all.

The halls from berth to lab were empty luckily for Wheeljack, who walked slouched on aching pedes and struts, extremely aware of his own condition. His berth was a higher end part of the ship and close to his lab, many of the other members who were soldiers, security and scouts were closer to exits so they could mobilise if an intruder came, which was on the other side of the ship almost, meaning that they would have to go out of their way to see him, but it was mostly only Sunstreaker and Sideswipe who did, much to his annoyance, he was wondering what they were up to, but certainly didn't want them to see him right now.

Wheeljack had a little more trouble cleaning his lab than he usually did because of his condition. The lab wasn't dirty, but he felt the need to disinfect it and move things around, he found the energon he'd gotten from the portal and finally decided to take a sip... it was amazing, he drank the equivalent of one and a half cubes of it as he was feeling so empty, the brood shifted in delight receiving the substance, it had a calming effect to it, which Wheeljack was glad it had. 

“There, there, now stop buggin me, we're fueled!” Wheeljack said to them patting at the bulge.

“Who are you talking to Wheeljack?” Prowl's voice came in loud and firm, Wheeljack shuddered.

“OH, right on schedule, the place is cleaned, checked, functional, go and see for yourself, I was just going to make a new facemask for myself after you're done” Wheeljack replied turning around to face him, watching Prowl's optics burn into him.

“Why on Earth are you talking to those things? They're not sparklings Wheeljack, you can't teach them speech” Prowl replied, visibly repulsed by their presence, Wheeljack sensed pity in his vocaliser, which was better than resentment he guessed.

“Force o habit....” Wheeljack said.

“I'm going to start now, just....stand over there away from me, your sight.... repulses me for lack of a better word” Prowl was Prowl again, terrible with words or sentiment, but Wheeljack chalked it up to him not wanting to feel more pity at his unfortunate condition.

Wheeljack shifted positions watching Prowl tick his boxes and write his comments, if there was one thing Prowl did like about Wheeljack it was his workspaces, they were organised, not exactly tidy, but still clean and ordered in a way where nobody could get hurt. Wheeljack did enjoy making sure his space looked nice and organised to an extent, made everything easier to find and store.

It took an hour for Prowl to get everything done, when it was all marked he walked up to Wheeljack, he was about to say something but the sight of the shifting brood within distracted him, causing him to cup a servo over his mouth.

“Oh, little squeamish are ya? I was like that at first, I've just sorta learned to deal with em best I can, I'm crossin my arms over em now so you can look, or just try focusin on my handsome face instead.” Wheeljack teased, crossing his servos over his abdomen, leaning on the wall and smirking, he'd lied through his denta, they were still repulsive and he was not used to them, but Prowl didn't need to know.

“I apologise for that display, I think I might not make another appointment until after your ordeal is over, I guess I can cut you a break over 'extreme circumstances' and trust you to keep things clear, do try to repair your guard, not only are they mandatory for battle but they are protective wear for your specialities too, they are life saving” Prowl replied swiftly turning around hurriedly trying to escape.

“Thank you I guess? And I already know, that's why I'm fixin it,”   
'king slaggin obvious he is' Wheeljack thought.

It took roughly three hours for Wheeljack to make a new faceguard and fit it into place, he tested it's reflexes, initiating and then retracting it a few times, it worked better than the other one and was hopefully more durable, he came across a smallish mirror he had to see his face, he looked at it initiated, then he retracted it.

Wheeljack looked in the mirror at his features, lightly tracing his faceplates, realising he was looking ever so slightly fuller but still retained his sharpness....for now. He reminded himself that energon retention was temporary, after they were birthed his features would go back to normal....except his thighs and hips.....and then it hit him, his valve was probably part of that too and he let out a loud groan and slammed his helm into the mirror, breaking it, causing him to sigh as he had to clean up this, and if human's superstitions were correct, which they obviously weren’t, he just sealed himself another seven years of bad luck.

He guessed if things really bothered him he could get himself tucked, nipped and changed. Most of his current modifications were rather small and non invasive, just colours and biolights here and there, things he could do himself.... maybe he'd actually like his new hips and thighs? There also wasn't any point in getting them changed if he was going to get sparked and have a sparkling....but that could be years, centuries away even. Would Ratchet be ok with doing it? If not he was sure First Aid would oblige.

Wheeljack traced his servos over his bulging abdomen and his hips, he swore they felt different, he traced a servo over his spike plating and the other over his valve. He needed fragging, but Ratchet was probably busy, for now he circled his coverings moaning at the light touch, he hadn't felt in days, he slowly lowered himself, sitting on his servo and riding it, letting his panel pop open, he felt an extra weight from his filling frame and poked some of his digits into his valve, he allowed the other panel to open and rubbed around his spike's entrance with his other servo.

Wheeljack wasn't sure where his sudden need came from, but what he did know was that he needed to overload. He'd rather be filled with the delicious moisture of his bond but for now, a quick self service was in great need. He ground into his servo, making sure to angle it in a way that stimulated his external and internal nodes and stroked at his quickening to harden spike making him mewl and purr with delight as sensations filled his thickening frame. 

The new weight on his servo from the clutch within his tank made him feel self conscious, but nobody else was around so he was able to lose himself in the feeling, pumping digits into his valve, stroking and rubbing key areas of his spike, mewling, moaning, whining like the little slut he knew he was over his own digits, slightly upset at the absence of warm thick liquids filling his hungry valve, the knowledge of how pathetic he truly was getting so worked up over his self service, he whined and called out for Ratchet, his Ratchet, who he desperately wanted to fill him with wet warmth but knew that he wasn’t listening. 

Instead a scream emitted from him as he overloaded all over the floors and himself, servo dripping with his own transfluid and a feeling of emptiness, his pitiable situation ruined any pleasure and high derived from this service, which he admitted wasn't one of his finest and was certainly over quicker than he would usually take.

Wheeljack sat in his own fluids for a bit, recuperating, but eventually he cleaned himself up, disappointed in himself for allowing such a miserable event to occur, he wanted his Ratchet, he wanted hugs and kisses, heavy interfacing, to be held and reminded of his beauty, but he knew that's not what he deserved.

Instead, he knew that these things inside were what he deserved, to be nothing more than a carrier to them, for allowing them to enter his valve...NO, he pushed that thought away, this was simply something he needed to overcome, this was unfortunate circumstances and Ratchet was there for him.

Pushing negative thoughts away he cleaned up the mess he created and prepared for Perceptor to brief and interrogate him, calling him to let him know he was ready.

Perceptor came in, excited as usual, hollering about how healthy they were and how the WPC were glad how he was coming along. 'Filling up nicely' is what was said making Wheeljack shudder, he hated thinking about what he'd look like when they were due and birthing them.... he shook the thought away, that was for the future Wheeljack.

“In a few days you'll look like you're in your second phase of a frame build, around day ten or eleven I'd say, you really are looking good for circumstances, filling up in other areas too I see.” Perceptor looked at his pedes and thighs, noting their slight difference, making Wheeljack uncomfortable.

“Can ya not word it like that please? Makes me feel like an empty dam or somethin.” Wheeljack held his abdomen and looked away, a miffed expression overtaking his features.

“Oh hush, you're too sensitive, sides, you're looking fine, you carry well, nothing to be ashamed of, now, tell me how day seven is treating you?” Perceptor saw Wheeljack's expression change again he looked into his optics and said:

“Day seven, feeling pain in the usual places, feeling awful and revved both at the same time, fixed my mouthguard, noticeable changes are occurring in my frame that I’m not prepared for nor am I liking, being stared up an down an judged by overzealous slag suckers who are trying to see me as an object.” Wheeljack burned that last line into Perceptor's optics, he was ticked off, it didn’t matter if it was his circumstances talking, all he knew was that he was not happy.

“Sorry if it comes across that way, I'm simply doing what has been requested, I've never seen a phenomenon like this before and to see my friend's frame changing so much in such a short time is overwhelmingly intriguing to me on a scientific level, I truly am sorry and apologise for making you uncomfortable, but it's simply part of my job, if I don't... The WFC is going to penalise me...” Perceptor replied, watching Wheeljack's expression soften.

“Fine, ok I get it, I'm still gonna complain an grouch about it though” Wheeljack reciprocated, giving Perceptor an unintentional Hatchet glare. 

“ The more time I spend around you two, the more I come to understand why you're bonded, OH and tomorrow Prime wants to meet with you personally after I log our exploits, the humans want to discuss some things” Perceptor was too enthusiastic.

“UGH I saw them last month, almost got held hostage by em, what the frag do they want me to do now and in THIS state? The humans didn't even know we could be sparked and carry, am I spose to tell em I got knocked up by a monster? PRIMUS, this just keeps getting better doesn't it? I thought Bee was suppose to be our main connection, not me...” Wheeljack was sweating coolant now.

“Bee is a scout, not an engineer, they need you to help them fix up and tune their systems again, part of the agreement. Marissa shared some information supplied by Ratchet, we haven't given them our secrets and weaknesses, but one day we might be forced to, they're as dangerous as the Cons I believe, sure, plenty of the regulars we've met are lovely and caring, but they fear us and fear makes monsters of men as the human saying goes” Perceptor said.

“Aye, got that right, I feel like I'm steppin into the human's underworld again, I'd rather them see me heavily sparked than....this” Wheeeljack replied as he gestured to the brood, feeling the sickening anxiety in his tank at the possibilities of their thoughts.

“Well, better prepare yourself for the brief, they'll probably send you in a few days time, be on your guard and make sure you fill up on Ratchet's fluids, can't have you losing yourself to needs or being cannibalised off base Jackie” Perceptor's vocals filled with concern.

“I get it, I'm gonna go get some rest, I'll need it” Wheeljack walked off to his quarters to spend the rest of the afternoon and night recharging to prepare for his meeting with Prime.

 

Wheeljack woke up to servos wrapped lovingly around his frame, he was glad Ratchet was next to him but a sudden urge filled his frame. Heat began to rise and his valve began to moisten, Wheeljack in response mewled and moaned thrusting against Ratchet's thigh, attempting to wake him up, he tossed and turned like the small felines that were on heat around the base, his moans turned to cries, whimpers and begging, causing Ratchet to online.

“Jackie....It's 06:00, I had an all day and nighter, what are you-” Ratchet was weary.

“I need you Ratch, please please frag me” Wheeljack could hardly spit it out, his valve dripping with want and need.

“Fill me, I want you to fill me” Wheeljack moaned.

“You're acting like those cats when they're on heat..... Jackie are you sure you're ok?” Ratchet wasn't prepared for this and it was far too early, but he felt his own frame reacting to his bond's want.

'PLEASE” Wheeljack begged, climbing on top and beginning to grind his open panel against Ratchet's, engine revving and purring.

“Jeez Jackie, if you must” Ratchet leaned back, allowing his bond to place kisses against his faceplates and chassis, coaxing his panel open and allowing his spike to emerge.

They both knew this was going to be quick, Wheeljack needed his fluids, Ratchet stared, watching as his own spike hardened and was buried deep inside his bond. Ratchet watched his bond's swollen abdomen, noting it had been growing even further and his weight felt different to usual. Ratchet allowed Wheeljack to ride him, both bots moaning as each thrust was felt.

Ratchet took hold of his bond's waist, painfully aware of how much it had bloated since last he held him, clutching it tight enough to feel the shifting outlines underneath, at the feeling of them he lowered it to slightly thickened hips, a feeling he preferred to being able to count the eggs within, he massaged the hips, thrusting into his bond's rhythm listening to the splendid orchestra of revving engines and loud moans of pleasure that erupted from both their frames.

Ratchet felt his spike begin to twitch as Wheeljack's valve tightened around it and he let out a loud delicious mewl filled with delight while he rode out his overload, which caused Ratchet to let out his, his spike spewing a large load of fluid, filling up Wheeljack's empty hungry valve.

“Short n sweet huh? I guess fraggin while carrying is less about pleasure an more about the fluids huh?” Wheeljack huffed out through intakes.

“Yeah, feelin like we tire out quicker than usual, or maybe we're just getting old” Ratchet replied chuckling after.

“I hope not, we still gotta have sparklings, sides, we still got a very very very long time left, you better not be trying to skimp on being a carrier” Wheeljack smiled.

“Yeah, we got heaps and of course not, gotta have some of em prefer me right?” Ratchet tapped Wheeljacks thigh to let him know to get off, he felt him squeeze around his spent spike and pull off, keeping the fluids in and sealed his panel closed.

“They'll still prefer me even if you carry em, mmm I feel so full with your fluids Ratchet” Wheeljack teased.

“I'm too tired for round two Jackie and you know you gotta keep it in till it absorbs, you have to visit Prime soon right? I heard the humans want you to go to base, will you be ok? I think Prime said they only want 'the engineer with the stripes' I don't like you being alone with them... not after last time and definitely not in this state” Ratchet was worried.

“You know they're probably all talk, I'll be fine...I wish we could go together, but the humans fear that two of us can overwhelm them, they like to be in control...” Wheeljack looked down.

“You think they would be fine with a healer and a scientist, the humans are cowards” Ratchet said.

“You're a healer who can get a helm shot without cross hairs from kilometres away and I’m a scientist who destroyed a large ship with a small homing bomb I made in less than two minutes with scrap....” Wheeljack replied.

“Good point, but still....I don't like it” Ratchet was concerned.

“Me neither, but this is the price we pay for being visitors on a planet that thinks we're monsters...they are..” Wheeljack was quite upset.

“They kill their own civilians, one wrong move and we're on that list, we gotta play their game” Wheeljack continued.

“I know.... you better see Prime” Ratchet rubbed Wheeljack's thigh lovingly as he watched him sit up then stand, fluids dripped from his panel.

“It's wiping first, then Percy then Prime....day eight...” Wheeljack headed to the basin in the room, then to Percy for the tests and interview, luckily it was quick, precise and to the point. Then finally to Prime's office, catching side eyes and questioning glares from crew members who dared not ask for information for fear of offending him.

Wheeljack made sure to knock first before entering, hearing Prime invite him in he shuffled over to the comfortable chair and sat down, spreading himself far apart attempting to make himself comfortable.

“Ahh, there you are, I believe Perceptor has told you of what this is about” Optimus stared at Wheeljack's abdomen, noting that he was approaching the appearance of second stage, no longer did a bot need to do a double take, Ratchet's noting of how fast they were developing inside his tiny compared to his own frame played through his processor. 

“Yeah, said that the humans wanted me to fix some systems, they'll probably want me for a few days...alone.....without Ratchet, in my vulnerable state, I feel as if Marissa has let them know of this 'condition' of mine” Wheeljack complained.

“I believe they wanted you in three days time for two to three days, alone, you're certainly right...I don't want to do this to you, but if we refuse....they'll believe we're breaking our contract” Optimus looked sombre. 

Wheeljack knew a few days of his own discomfort was better than having the Command wanting to storm them, it wasn't enough that they were granted a say in the Protectobots, but to ask for him to stay and repair the systems again....after last time....he was certainly miffed.

“Last time the bastards tried to claim that I was more use with them, that they needed me for systems....they were trying to keep me as a pet! Away from... Optimus you know Ratchet an I are a team, we can't be apart from each other for long periods of time, we need each other to lean on, if we are far apart for too long....” Wheeljack was silent.

“I understand, perhaps the humans might understand to if you explain it, but I for one do not intend to let them keep you, we need you here for the benefit of everyone” Optimus was firm.

“After everything that's happened.... thanks, it means a lot to me, I believe there's a possibility that we may have to give up some of our secrets to the humans, Marissa has probably already told them of our ability to....reproduce.... we may have to reveal information about our bonds...” Wheeljack thought of Ratchet's reaction, they agreed the less the humans knew the less they could use against them.

“This may be true....we must hold out hope that the information will not be used against us, I apologise for not giving you a choice” Optimus sounded defeated.

“I understand.... change of subject but I was wonderin, where are the twins? They haven't bugged me in a while and the base seems empty for a potential Con attack” Wheeljack was confused.

“The twins are out patrolling around the perimeter, they rarely come back to refuel, some of the scouts like Hound and Bumblebee are patrolling more too, making loud noises to make it seem as if there are more of us, giving the Cons false information” Optimus replied.

“So you gave out a false flag report to confuse the humans, sly” Wheeljack smirked.

“Until we can trust them, in our meetings we mustn't reveal the whole truth, while you are there, do try to get as much information about them as possible, much like last time.” Optimus burned into Wheeljack.

“Ya had no need to even mention that, sides, I know that system inside out, I'll update the bug too, they won't find it.” Wheeljack smirked even harder, his cheeky grin visible to all.

“I hate that we are forced to do these things...”

“Me too, but we must, they gotta vote out the lead soon, some o the troops are fed up with it, times will change for everyone, well I'm informed, so I'm gonna go chill for the next few days and get things ready, stay classy Prime” Wheeljack threw up peace signs and headed back to his berth, he'd been watching too many Earth things and searching their net. 

The next few days would be Wheeljack catching up on Earth media, monitoring his frame, being with his bond and preparing for his descent into the hell that is the Compound, being among those that see him as a machine, a truly hurtful term, among them alone, he was vulnerable and knew that if at any point he was unneeded, they would tear him apart and dissect him, he really didn't want to be unhelpful to them...


	15. Chapter 15

Wheeljack was certainly not looking forward to the next three days, he spent most of the morning mentally preparing for them, he was in the room alone because Ratchet had to do an emergency surgery on Ironhide and First Aid had needed to temporarily join the Protectobots, he'd be back tonight. Wheeljack wanted to tell his bond goodbye, but things never went to plan in team Prime.

Perceptor was going to arrive soon, but Wheeljack was curious, he stared at the covered mirror and decided to see what the damage was now. When he saw himself he expected worse, but his features were still sharp, his hips and thighs had only widened slightly, but his abdomen was definitely more noticeable as he started to appear as if he was beginning his second phase of a frame build, miffed but not utterly repulsed he turned towards a knock at the door, opening it to let Perceptor in.

“You know the drill, but while you're gone, do try to get the documentations, you have a camera and a recording on your datapad, just record and send to me” Perceptor seemed a little out of character today.

“Day eleven, more changes, feeling the usual, gotta go help humans” Wheeljack was tired of these reports, he wished that Perceptor would just do them every few days instead, but he knew better.

“Thanks.....” Perceptor was really out of character.

“Hey Percy, what's up? Ya usually a little more enthusiastic about my suffering” Wheeljack tried to perk him up.

“It's just that, if I had learned about your systems, It could be me going instead, I feel bad that you have to be the one to do this” Perceptor sounded rather melancholy

“Ah, Engineering is my thing Percy, it has to be me, nobody else, don't blame yourself, sides, I'm the one who got myself into this mess, so I just gotta be at peace with whatever is asked of me, and we've only got just under forty days left.... and I look like this... just don't ask me in future” Wheeljack was coming to terms with what the brood would look like in future, he really didn't want to think of it though.

“Yeah, I guess you're right, you'll have to tell the humans you'll be out of commission for a while, a month can't hurt them right....well, I don't think it'll too much bigger than if you were having twins by the end...” Perceptor threw in.

“I'll have to tell them... twins!? Primus... next time I discover something on another planet, it's gonna be you using the portal generator....” Wheeljack said, watching Perceptor laugh at that last part.

“ Oh, OH NO, not if I end up in your predicament, besides, you carry well, it suits you” Perceptor laughed.

“ What the heck is that meant to mean? You really just like seeing me suffer don't you....” Wheeljack joked.

“No......yes, you just get yourself in increasingly questionable situations that are entirely preventable, it's entertaining, well, the humans will want you, better get a move on, I'll try getting more energon through your portal, the drones can help me find a connection for a vat... I find the drones you built are too happy, I don't like them...” Perceptor shuddered.

“I don't like it either but I haven't gotten around to reprogramming them, you'll have to deal for now while they sing a tune of cheer” Wheeljack shuffled towards the door snickering.

“Please, please fix them when you come back.... it's terrifying” Perceptor begged.

Wheeljack laughed and headed for the exit, transforming and barrelling down the halls, his skills made him one of the only bots able to do this trick, him and the tinier bots were able too, when he did, everyone knew to just stand aside. 

Wheeljack knew in his condition he shouldn't be driving like a lunatic, but he needed a way to expend the last few days. Wheeljack was glad his condition hadn't caused any issues with his transformation, he admitted it was a little more awkward to change and his cabin was shifted, but a human could still sit comfortably inside, they'd only notice if they were regulars.

The ground had hardened from the lack of rain, but Wheeljack knew it would be back soon, he hoped that he didn't get too much dirt on him as the humans might not allow him to wash unless it was after a certain time, 'discipline' they called it, 'filthy' and 'unhygienic' is what Wheeljack and Ratchet would call it. 

When he drew close a massive hangar door opened, it was big even by Cybertronian standards, Wheeljack slowed down and spun as he entered, leaving perfect circles on the ground to show his skill, leave his mark and piss off the humans at the same time.

“I don't get enough leave to make up for having to clean up after you, 'machine'” a voice rang out.

Wheeljack transformed back to his root standing tall then lowering himself to the terrified human.

“Please, don't ever call me a 'machine' again, it hurts my emotional processors” Wheeljack tried to sound as kind as was able with his rising boiling rage, he hated their words and he hated this place more than he hated the things in his chamber, at least they didn't call him names.

“I....I'm....s....s..so...sorry it won't happen again..... please don't kill me, I'm only a cleaner and vehicles management, I had no idea” the human was petrified, Wheeljack didn’t mean to make them think they were in danger, he just wanted them to stop being cruel.

“Autobots don't kill humans, sorry for spooking you, you must be new here, just....don't call us machines, it's not nice, tell your friends too” Wheeljack remained crouched on all fours, attempting to make himself look less intimidating.

“Ok, I'll take your word for it, yes I'm new, just started about two weeks ago, names Carlos, they described you as the... the yeah, you don't seem too bad, anyway, I'll take you to Marissa...” Carlos was becoming less tense.

Wheeljack rose, causing Carlos to shake again, obviously worried about being stepped on, he was around the height of Wheeljack's leg.

“I'm not gonna step on ya, I'm more careful than that, but please don't stand directly under me I can't see you like I'd usually be able to..” Wheeljack noticed the human kept staring at his abdomen, it looked like they wanted to say something.

“Umm, why do you look....like....how do.....what do you call it” Carlos gestured to his abdomen.

“I was waiting for you to ask, I errr, got caught up in an experiment and now I'm carrying critically endangered parasitic eggs” Wheeljack replied quickly.

“I see....so Marissa's statements are true......what a strange universe” Carlos was definitely confused.

“I know right, strange universe” Wheeljack spied the dark hair and the signature blue and white suit that belonged to Marissa.

“So I see you've met Wheeljack here, he's the Autobot engineer and the bot that set up and updated the grids and defence systems around here, he's gonna be staying with us for a few days” Marissa said excitedly.

“Against my will... do I at least have access to free refuels, washes and recharges.” An annoyed Wheeljack demanded.

“There's a spot in the hangar below the catwalks for you to rest and a pressure hose nearby, we left some covers for you too” Carlos pitched, the hangar was his responsibility.

“Ugh, it'll do, at least I have my datapad...” Wheeljack would have liked to have a TV or something and some soft pillows, he really didn't want to recharge in a hangar alone without his bond, who he'd have to call later, his link was weak currently, Ratchet often drowned it out while he was working to prevent Wheeljack from giving him any troubles, he'd only feel it if Wheeljack used a large energy surge to reach out, but that was only for emergencies as it drained Wheeljack of his energy.

“Well, you better get back to work Carlos, Wheeljack come with me.” 

Marissa lead Wheeljack to a dark room that was filled with lights, he recognised it as the main room for all the systems, they redecorated it, he hoped they hadn't realised the bug built into it.

“It's been on the fritz, I think The General asked Sparkplug to take a look at it but he couldn't figure it out” Marissa said.

“It shouldn't be on the fritz, I designed it so that It wouldn't stuff up, unless one of ya' monkey brains threw a spanner at it, I thought I made it primate proof....” Wheeljack said.

“Are you sure? Because nobody has been tampering with it” Marissa insisted.

“ I'm sure, I made it, sides, from the looks of it, someone has disrupted a key power converter, it's short circuiting because of this? How could you miss it?” Wheeljack laid down and shimmied under, turning to the side.

“Wait? That's it? Sparkplug could have fixed that....” Marissa called him up.

“Hey, Plug, how the hell could you miss a short circuiting power converter? We pay you the-” Marissa was cut off, Wheeljack overheard.

“What? What are you talking about? A power converter?” he sounded confused

“For the main grid? The General asked you to fix it...” Marissa continued.

“WHAT? I was never told about that, I was off base” 

“Oh, ok then, sorry about that, misinformation” Marissa said.

“Jeez, this is my day off with my son, the base needs a reboot, Sparkplug out” the phone rang up.

“And done-- YEOOWCH” Wheeljack was hit with a powerful pulse, it caused his optics to offline temporarily but it wasn't major, at least he hoped so, that was unusual....had someone tampered with it?, he touched at his abdomen to make sure the brood was alright, he'd need to take a look, but he was sure none ruptured.

“What happened, your lights went out for a second, we better get you looked at, the Protectobots gave us some equipment, we should take a peak.” Marissa looked very concerned.

“Ahh, yeah, might wanna make sure these guys are alright, I'm gonna be in a galaxy's worth of trouble if even one doesn't survive” Wheeljack was confused, there was nothing he did that would cause a surge, had someone rigged it? If so, why? Wheeljack had many questions, but he staved off asking them while he was led to a large room, the base was surprisingly large, he could stand up at his full height, although he had to lower his winglets to prevent them from scraping the roof.

“Here, just lie down here on this block” Marissa pointed, then positioned herself in a booth controlling the device that hovered over Wheeljack's form.

“Says your spark is stable....but it's as if it's...weeping? Getting imaging of your chamber.... holy—THATS WHATS” Marissa looked shocked and disgusted.

“Yeah, you see....when a frame is being built, a spark is meant to be present, but because there is no spark, it's just an empty gestation... my frame isn't entirely sure what's happening either, but it's trying to support what's in it, yeah....they aren't the nicest looking things...” Wheeljack put his servo over his spark, it hadn't occurred to him that it being empty might have been making his moods worse than what would usually occur, it would also explain the empty ache he'd been having in his spark.

There were heavy footsteps that rang through the bay, they demanded attention, Wheeljack angled himself attempting to grab a look at who he knew was The General, he had a bald tattooed helm, pale pinkish flesh on a thickly frame, a look that always hid his intentions with a kindly smile on his square features.

Wheeljack had heard the high whispers of the crew talk of his 'muscular body' and 'sweet demeanour despite his looks' and what crew he had 'slept with' and other descriptions he wished he never heard about. Perhaps he was kindly to his fellow humans, believing in his own righteous delusions, he was working in the best interest to fellow humans, perhaps he was right not to trust them, Wheeljack couldn't fault him for that, but he refused to allow them to convince him.

The crew treated Wheeljack like a vehicle whenever he was there but that’s how he heard a story of how The General removed his real name from any records once he became leader of the special forces. He was a human that Wheeljack wished not to be on the wrong side of, he always looked at him as if he was scrap, as if he was another subject to tear apart and experiment on despite the smile and seemingly kind demeanour the high pitched humans had screamed about, he hated him so much and yet, had a level of understanding of his ways.

“We meet again engineer... Marissa was right.... a pregnant robot carrying an alien species, but a machine capable of it's own reproduction...fascinating” The General was next to Wheeljack now.

“Can you please not call me a machine....we're auton--” Wheeljack felt him pushing at his abdomen, shoving hands uncomfortably between plates, he knew he was trying to feel the brood.

“You're an interesting subject, how does one manage to get knocked up by another species...colossal fuckup I assume?” The General climbed on top of him, working towards his face, Wheeljack knew he couldn't move, just in case he knocked him off balance, he needed to play the game...for the continuation of the treaty.... for their safety...for Ratchet's safety.

“Yeah, funny story, but ahh, moral is, don't go opening wormholes to other planets without reading the travel guide first, ya might catch some nasties” Wheeljack replied.

The General laughed “Ahh, I'm so glad they send the bot with a sense of humour, always giving me a good chuckle whenever we interact, do I really want to know the story? I have heard it included tentacles... but what I do want to know is if they have any value and if the humans can have one of them” 

“You requested me and I was sent...and they're not really a fighting kind of species and as much as I'd like to give you one when they're birthed.... these big guys have already called for custody of them, Wildlife Preservation Committee, take it up with them” Wheeljack knew he'd need his bargaining skills.

“I did indeed request you and I take it you have no say in anything? Just a pawn in it, Marissa informed me that they'd kill you if one of them was ruptured” The General stood on top of Wheeljack's bulging abdomen.

“Yeah...but if you kill me, the Autobots have no reason to work with you any more....if you want one, take it up with the WPC” Wheeljack was sweating coolant, he knew he could grab the tiny human and crush him, but Autobots didn't kill humans unless they were a real threat, if one did...they'd be thrown into human custody as per the agreement and probably pulled apart and vivisected.

“Oh, I don't want to kill you, I apologise for coming across that way, I must work on my social skills and after you said how useless these things are, we'd be more interested in something like...you” The General sat on top of his bump, the creatures squirming within.

“Me? I'm just an engineer, if you want someone with fightin prowess, power and overall wham bam fun why not Warpath? You guys like tanks right? He's a tank, perfect match” Wheeljack knew Warpath would be able to take on this base, that's why he wasn't allowed anywhere near it.

“As much as we'd like fighting prowess, brains is what we need most around here, with you here aiding us in the creation of weapons, we can defeat the Cons, capture them and put them on trial” The General felt the ripples and tapped at them.

“Or experiment and pull them apart, they don't deserve that and I don't want to make weapons for humans, ya don't know what kind of power yer dealin with and I can't be apart from the Autobots cos... cos they need me” Wheeljack thought of Ratchet.

“But we need your help more, weapons experts are hard to come by... and we're sorry, there can only be one of you, just in case you plan on any attacks” The human said with a fake kindly smile.

“What's that suppose to mean?” Wheeljack burned optics into the him.

“Marissa told me that you're part of some kind of bond with the Medic.....what could machines know” The General finally removed himself, happy that he'd visibly pissed him off with this information.

“If you dare try anyth--” Wheeljack was interrupted

“We'll need to fix a few things tomorrow, for now, you're free to go” he retreated, Wheeljack hadn't realised how late it was, he needed to talk, he needed to cool himself down.

“What was that about? The General musta been in a bad mood, he's usually kind” Marissa turned off the tools.

“He knows...he knows..... he knows and has leverage....slag..” Wheeljack knew he'd already knew, but what purpose was there for this? Wheeljack assumed it was The General himself that set up the zap and that the zap was meant to make him go into recharge. Wheeljack left Marissa to go to his corner. He called Ratchet, feeling himself calm as he heard his soft venting through the speaker.

“Hey Ratchet, hows ol Hide? Can he go one week without breaking something?” Wheeljack was positioned quite odd, splayed out pedes and slightly on his side, being unable to be on his stomach quite annoyed him.

“It's Hide.... you think he's not gonna hurt himself...I hope you're doing ok...how you feeling” Ratchet was concerned.

“I'm feeling the usual, like my frames too bulgy and I'm nauseous, but I’m doing alright... the human's pressure hose isn't as good as ours and I can't get comfortable so I’m just rolling...”Wheeljack was quite miffed.

“Miss me already? Oh Prime's calling on me, get some rest alright, Love you, sorry we couldn't talk longer” Ratchet sounded very upset

“Love you too grumpy aft, you get some too” Wheeljack turned off his datapad and purred his engine attempting to calm and reposition himself he then heard a laugh travel through the empty hangar.

“What's so funny? Marissa is that you?” Wheeljack growled.

“I'm sorry, haha but the way you're lying and your engine sounds like a purr, HA...you look like my room mates pregnant cat, she's a Ragdoll and is due in two weeks here, I’ll get the photo' Marissa pulled out her small phone and held it to him, after snapping his picture, the cat was looking awfully uncomfortable with it's tummy, it's back legs spread out and it's front rolled upwards.

“Hey, can ya ask first before you take pics?.... ok....I see the resemblance... funny...” Wheeljack was quite unamused and pulled and annoyed face, which caused her to laugh harder.

“I'm sorry, it's just....you got this giant killer robot acting like a common household cat, I can't help but laugh....I've never heard a bot with an engine like that though...what is it?” Marissa wiped her face.

“Ok...so it might be funny to a human..... and this noise.....it relaxes us ok....and the action also helps relieve tension.... most bots do it to calm themselves or other bots....why did you tell your General about us” Wheeljack burned.

“By us you mean.....I thought if I told him he'd let you off...” Marissa replied.

“Well, he knows about us and I think he wants more than just weapons now...but what? I'll figure that out tomorrow, now go away and let me recharge” Wheeljack was certainly annoyed.

“I'm sorry, I just wanted to help” Marissa said.

“I know....I'm not angry at you, but please leave me alone now” Wheeljack attempted to recharge.

“OK, fine, are all you Cybertronians like this?” Marissa began to leave.

“Only me and Ratchet....” Wheeljack heard a snort then drifted away, he'd have to be careful around this place, always diligent, but he still needed his rest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Remember Carlos from Armada? Yeah Easter egg time. Diplomacy is not fun.


	16. Chapter 16

Wheeljack was annoyed to wake with cramps and pains running through his frame, his back strut burned, his pedes, hips and thighs ached, he certainly wasn't in any mood to do what the humans would ask of him today. He was glad they left some quality energon for him nearby at least, that he sculled down quickly, he soon received a call from Ratchet, he was glad for that too.

“Morning Ratch, do we at least have more than ten minutes now? I hate being here... it's like being surrounded by hungry scraplets” Wheeljack complained.

“I know...Prime told me that Marissa shared the information she got from the meeting with their leader, he called us to discuss it, he was disappointed to find you unhelpful... do you know what that means? I also think your bug only has access to certain areas, or else we'd know more...” Ratchet sounded extremely concerned.

“I think he expected these eggs to be useful, he wanted one before he realised they were useless....Marissa must have given him the information for them too, she recorded their movements for him while I was here, I also think he's disappointed because I refuse to supply them weapons....the bug may have certain reach, there's nothing I can do about it now because I'm being monitored, I also believe he sabotaged my grid to lure me here to check.” Wheeljack liked to think he was good at unravelling plots, he realised betrayal before.

“He said you got zapped by something, well, as long as he sees no reason to keep you there, you'll return tomorrow, I know you already know but be careful...you're vulnerable and if anything.....don't just don't” Ratchet was forceful.

“I'll see you tomorrow Ratchet, you know I will” Wheeljack insisted as he spied Marissa walking along the catwalk.

“I better” Ratchet asserted.

“ I'll talk to you another time, Marissa's here” Wheeljack hung up.

“Morning, time to get up and work, you gotta fix the systems and help us with the weapon you gave us, The General would also like a one on one with you later” Marissa was quite peppy for being awake at too slagging early in the morning.

“What would he want with me? I thought I was useless to him after refusing his offer” Wheeljack slowly crawled up, stretching his frame as he rose and yawned, shaking his helm after.

“Not sure, but he was mumbling about spark bonds and spawn, maybe he has more questions for you” Marissa observed his movements, the more time she spent with him the more he seemed....alive.

In all the meetings she had with the Autobots, they were all official, very few of the bots joked during them bar Wheeljack. Before witnessing him cling to his partner she just assumed they were war obsessed and only imitating emotions, many, but not all of the humans who were allied with her were convinced they were just unfeeling war machines, she was realising this perception was incredibly wrong. They weren't 'AI' they were fully formed, sentient, capable of loving one another and even producing offspring. She watched as he shifted his little wings and made light chirp like purr as he scratched at them.

“Ugh, everything aches like crazy....why ya staring at me like that?” Wheeljack asked.

“Oh, well, you know, it's not everyday you watch a giant robot....doing regular things” Marissa said.

“I guess, you guys only see us out in the field, so our mundane routines are kinda...well not so mundane I guess” Wheeljack was ready to start despite feeling like he'd been thrown through a grinder.

Marissa took him around to fix up areas and reinforce others, he appeared so calm and joyous in his work, happily purring and revving his engine as if he was humming a tune, occasionally he'd spout out song lyrics from music that she'd heard and others not, but they were definitely tunes from Earth.

“Oh, oh, stop wriggling in there, I'm trying to work here, you're bigger now, so it's more of a fuss....owww” Wheeljack stopped and began to vent clutching his abdomen.

“Huh? What's going on? You're not...nobody here can.... what do I do” Marissa was panicking.

“It's fine...just a little bit of pain.... they're nowhere near ready, just not happy, they shifted upwards and shook a line that connects to my spark chamber, which was already hurting, it's uncomfortable but not life threatening at all” Wheeljack slowly began to start again.

“Line to? Oh, I think I get it, are you done?” Marissa was observing him, his winglets would flutter aggressively when he was annoyed, he was very animate.

“Yeah, I'll fix the weapon for you, what do you want from it?” Wheeljack pulled himself out, accidentally hitting the ceiling with a winglet which caused him to yelp and reach for it, he caressed it, lowering it to a reaching servo and winced, realising he'd caused a cut, luminous blue leaked from it, he licked it from his servo, long segmented glossa lapping it up.

“Ow that looked like it hurt, watch out remember, low clearing, is there anything you need?” Marissa watched and noticed he had saliva on two digits and rubbed it into the wound, making a confused face as she watched.

“Our saliva has nanites and can disinfect to help with the healing process, I've seen you humans put a cut digit into your mouths, it's quite the same thing, don't worry, it's just a little nick, will heal in no time at all” Wheeljack had replied as he noticed her scrunched features. Marissa lead him to the weapon.

“This is it here, we'd like to mount it here and have you program it to connect up to these computers here and the grid, you can do that right?” Marissa pointed to a few places.

“I can do that, but it's pretty finicky because of the state of your tech and...well my state, it'll take a while.” Wheeljack had to squeeze into areas that before were simple to fit into, the brood getting restless because of all the activity he'd been doing, attempting to distract him from work that needed his full commitment.

“I'd like to stay with you guys for a bit at your base, observe your routines and the way you act, perhaps if I do a report and 'humanise' you, General might change his mind about everything...I believe it's all just one big communication issue which is stopping us from trusting one another” Marissa brought up.

“I don't know how Prime will feel about that, but there should be space for you if allowed, you'd have to get your own food, there's plenty of wildlife around or if you'd prefer we're about two or so hours from the closest town....at human speed, but I'm sure Sides or Sunny can get you there in no time, they're fast but they suck at curves, or maybe Jazz, he has an interest in humans and would have a lot to talk about, you'd have to convince him to speed up, he'd get distracted.” Wheeljack thought of the crew.

“Well, you're seeing The General later, so maybe take it up with him? I mean we have the Protectobots but we rarely see them unless they are helping with disasters and...Bumblebee is it? Is often hanging with Sparkplug and his son, who don't talk about him often but seem to trust you guys the most and I'm sure that Scarlett and the others can pick up my slack while I'm gone” Marissa continued.

“Alright, I'll ask, but everyone will have to watch their pedes and ya gotta make sure not to get yaself under em” Wheeljack replied, she'd made her case, Prime was looking for a way to get them to trust them more, he hoped she truly wanted them to be closer and wasn't trying to steal their information... she seemed kind, Wheeljack put his faith in her.

Eventually Wheeljack fixed the weapon into place, giving Marissa basic instructions on it's use, he'd made sure it wasn't as powerful as it was when it was attached to him, it would still be enough to help them defend against an attack. 

It was now time to meet The General, one on one, in his quarters, Wheeljack hoped he could bargain....there was no choice for him, he couldn't fail, even the brood shifted uncomfortably inside him, did they too feel his presence? It wasn't fear he felt, it was determination, he had a card and he was going to play it.

 

“I apologise for not being better prepared to accommodate someone of your....stature, but I never expected to have one of you in here, this is my personal hangar, my office would be too small, do try to sit and make yourself comfortable or whatever you machines do” The General gestured in front of him, watching the striped bot's scarred face twitch.

Wheeljack lowered himself, it was difficult to do it in his state, he knew getting up would be harder, it was only the beginning, he shuddered at what was for him in future. When he was sat down he spread out his pedes bending his knees and leaning back on servos, it was the most comfortable he could get and it wasn't comfortable, his belly stuck out too so that was not ideal, he watched the General's face change as he stared at it.

“I said it before an I'll say it again, don't call me a machine, I'm perfectly capable of feelings and individual thought, Cybertronians are autonomous, it's offensive.” Wheeljack stared sharply into his eyes, sitting up straighter, positioning his winglets high and attempting to look bigger.

“You've yet to prove to us you are anything but killing machines meant for war, what makes you think that we're going to let you take us over when you're done proving you're the more powerful of two factions? What if you are just trying to manipulate us into helping you defeat the Cons then taking us over?” The General returned his glare but remained calm.

“We're not a threat to you as long as you're not a threat to us, I thought the reports from the meetings we hold would tell you that we're not AI” Wheeljack continued.

“Perhaps, but we need more information, perhaps if your med-”

“Don't you dare bring Ratchet here, you can take me, but if you dare suggest bringing him to this slag heap.” Wheeljack's engine revved loud and aggressively, fans whirred loudly, he was overcome with rage.

“Ahh, is that the name of your 'bond' the medic, that's quite the reaction, I was simply going to suggest he send reports, he's much much bigger than you and would have far too much grief with this small space, It might be about time we try getting to know each other better” The General replied sheepishly, at the mere mention, the thing snapped, he'd hadn't felt fear like that for a long time, he'd never seen anger over suggestions before from a bot, perhaps they were wrong....but more information was needed, if this failed...

“We can't give you our full information.....I'll talk to Ratch....Marissa had a suggestion, she was gonna try volunteering to stay at our base and report on our activities, I can take her back with me tomorrow and we can deal with Prime then on the spot, she believes it can help 'humanise' us...” Wheeljack settled down, engine relaxing venting slowing.

“I understand to an extent, I give Marissa permission, I'll brief her after this alone, shouldn't you ask your leader first?” The General heard the bots engine calm, he let out a sigh of relief, questions filled his brain, guilt over how he saw and treated them, he pushed it away, they were just AI, this is simulated... he was however, conflicted.

“I'll ask him, but he has no choice to say yes” Wheeljack responded.

“Well, it's your head on the line, I'll tell Sparkplug to drop by too when he's back from leave, thank you for your work here, you can leave here in the morning, dismissed” Cheif said shallowly.

“I got it” Wheeljack had difficulty getting off the floor, his pedes had gone numb and his centre of gravity was certainly off, once he got to his pedes, eventually, The General watching him, attempting not to laugh, the brood decided to thrash around, he really wanted to go back, but he had to sleep here again.

Wheeljack had seen Marissa walk past him and wave, her turn it seemed, he headed to his little area below the catwalks, the place was vacant, quiet, Wheeljack could relax, he recorded his information for Perceptor. After, he tried to ring Ratchet, he really needed to hear his vocaliser, but he didn't pick up, which made him feel isolated in this slag heap, then suddenly out of nowhere his frame became hot.

“No, no, not here, not here, not now argh, slaggit all” Wheeljack vented heavily attempting to keep his panels shut, but he could already feel himself begin to moisten and his spike pressure against it.

He needed fluids, he felt empty, he thought he'd had enough in the past few days, but everything was topsy turvy, random, never routine like a carry would be, he began to mewl and moan, unable to stop himself, calling for his bond who was hours away and busy. He decided he needed to self service, he just hoped he'd be left alone and that his cries wouldn't be heard.

He allowed his panels to shift away, his spike was already fully pressurised wanting to be touched and teased, his valve was dripping and leaking on the floor, the feeling of the cold breeze against his exposed equipment made him shiver with want.

Deciding to lie on his back strut against the bundled covers that he used to prop himself up he ran servos across his frame, criss crossing them over to tease at winglets that wished to be touched, kneading them. Although he was already wet and dripping he felt needy and wished for touch, after they were satisfied he moved them down, slowly dragging them down his chassis to his bulging abdomen, he rubbed both servos over it, tracing around then cupping it at the bottom, gritting denta at it's presence but kneading it slightly to un-knot his knotted circuits, moaning as quietly as he could at the touch of his own servos on his overstimulated sensitive frame.

He trailed a servo to his spike and another at his valve entrance, he focused at his valve first tracing around his anterior node, stimulating it causing him to leak more fluids and keen at the touch, he then began to trail around it as he slowly worked a digit, a second digit, a third and pumped them slowly inside, finding his interior node and poking and rubbing at it.

When he found his node with his other servo and pumped at his spike, starting slow and eventually speeding up, keeping the same pace as was in his valve. Loud mewling and moans erupted from his vocals, fans whirring rapidly to keep up with his heat, his engine roaring loud as he was approaching his overload, right before he did he stared into the corner, noticing a slight flash of red light...they had been recording him.....that was a camera and it was pointed right at him... but he'd have to deal with that tomorrow, he smirked cheekily at it staring through, he currently didn't care and entered an overwhelmingly powerful overload causing him to scream.

As he was winding down from the high he looked above at the catwalk and spied Marissa who was speechless and stunned, staring right at his equipment and the mess he'd created. Not only was this filmed but he was also noticed by the human....

“How....huff....how long were you there for.... enjoy the show?” Wheeljack had no idea how to handle this situation, so he resorted to his usual way......humour.

“About....when you.......circled....what the fuck just happened? Did I just? Oh no” Marissa was definitely not recovering from this.

“Sorry.... you see, the carrying thing.....we need fluids from a partner...it makes us need to.....Ratch wasn't.....so I needed..... argh scrap....you know what? I don't slaggin care anymore... being knocked up by a tentacle monster.... and I'm gonna get even worse... might as well prepare for it” Wheeljack laid in his own filth, too tired to give a slag at this predicament.

“So I just watched you.... holy shit.....” Marissa's face went red as the stripes on Wheeljack.

“Yep, and that camera there got it all, thanks for tellin' me about it, also, please KNOCK next time” Wheeljack slowly sat up, he needed to clean now.

“I.... was told to keep it a secret, how did you? I didn't know you were gonna do....THAT” Marissa was indeed shaken.

“Me neither, and of course, secret, hope whoever sees that enjoys the show, don't spose ya' can delete it?” Wheeljack washed himself down, spraying his equipment, she'd already seen them, what was the point now, he just hoped she didn't try to take him down for indecent exposure, but to be fair, she didn't knock and technically this was his quarters.

“It's only The General who has access to that one, he wanted to make sure you didn't blow up anything” Marissa was calming down now, she couldn't keep her eyes off the bot, her cheeks flushed red.

“Maybe it can be used as evidence to 'humanise' us” Wheeljack jested, spraying the fluids away into the drain, he was glad none got on the covers.

“Trying to see the bright side already....” Marissa was trying to empty the thought of Wheeljack from her mind, but the image was burned into her, she'd forget eventually...maybe...

“Why did ya' come here anyway?” Wheeljack snapped, he needed a recharge.

“To tell you The General agreed” She replied, at least that's why she thought she did.

“Coulda just come tomorrow morning” Wheeljack wrapped himself in the covers, he was cold, the hangar was far too cold and his frame could only produce so much heat, his trapped venting would keep him warm.

“I just felt like I needed to tell you, I have so many questions....” Marissa was curious.

“Now? I'm tired but fine, only a few” Wheeljack really had no choice at this point.

“About your ummm 'equipment--”

“NOPE, not answering that” Wheeljack was on his side, he felt big and uncomfortable, he certainly didn't want to talk about what just happened....he'd rather it had been when he wasn't carrying at least.

“OH, sorry it's just...” Marissa trailed.

“I said no” Wheeljack replied.

“I just, they're so coloured and decorated...” Marissa blushed.

“Yeah, we know, please just go, I need to recharge so I can get back tomorrow” Wheeljack fell into recharge, the conversation irritated him, he'd deal with more slag tomorrow.

 

Wheeljack crawled out from covers to see both The General and Marissa who was holding her bags standing infront of him. They bought him some energon too and by the look on the male human's face he'd certainly seen the clip, Wheeljack simply grinned the same smug grin before downing the liquid.

“I hope you don't go distributing the video without my proceeds Mr General sir” Wheeljack teased, he might as well.

“I could send it to the medic instead” The tattoo headed human replied with a snort.

“Oh, He'd like that, did you enjoy it? Maybe not have a hidden camera next time” Wheeljack might as well, the hole was already dug.

“Fascinating, learned more about your race, and I'll definitely take that into consideration, now get the hell out before I change my mind” The General left, he wasn't as shaken as Wheeljack expected, more intrigued, he didn't know how he felt about that.

Wheeljack took to his alt, opening up his boot to allow Marissa to place her bags.

“What's this stuff here?” Marissa pointed.

“Just weapons, other things, unimportant, get in, I need to leave now” Wheeljack was impatient in opening his doors, he sped past Carlos, leaving dust behind as a goodbye and continued fast as he was able, but eventually had to slow himself down to a more leisurely pace as his frame ached and the brood shifted even when he was in alt.

“You sped fast before? Why are you slow? You said you liked bends, it's wet too, so you can slide” Marissa asked as the journey felt slow.

“I just feel exhausted already, nauseous and achey, I'll have to take it easy, please don't talk too much, my processor aches and I need to tell Jazz to show you around...just listen to music on your device or something if you’re bored, or watch the scenery” Wheeljack needed to focus on the road, he needed to get back, he couldn't stop now.

“Ok, fine” Marissa observed the scenery and listened in to their conversation, she didn't dare to bring up last night, but she hadn't been able to drain the thought.

“Hey Jazz, It's Jackie, I'm bringing Marissa, you can show her around, I'm probably gonna pass into recharge when I get back” Wheeljack sounded tired.

“It's only 10:00 in the morning? I'll tell Ratchet to be prepared, and Marissa?” Jazz was trying to piece what was happening.

“I'm on day thirteen now, give me a break, we're having her at the base for a while so she can document us to increase relations, I think The General sent Prime a notice last night, but there's no choice, there's small spare room near your quarters, I'll be back in around an hour” Wheeljack said.

“You? Go slow? You must be ill, I'll tell Ratchet to definitely prepare and will do, she's in good servos, see you in an hour, Jazz out” 

Wheeljack would increase speed when he could but still maintained a leisurely pace, he felt dizzy, nauseous and his spark was aching so he needed to try to get to base as soon as he was able, something wasn't right, he could feel it, he hoped he could get to base.

When Wheeljack entered he had to let Marissa out immediately, he then ejected her items as softly as he could and immediately through sheer instinct returned to root, he fell down to all fours feeling himself heave and gag, optics watering. After seconds that felt like minutes he finally purged his tank, expelling everything he had in it until he was dry heaving.

Wheeljack felt liquid drip from his optics and yelling he could hardly translate, he felt everything spin and dizziness overtake him. He heard Ratchet's voice and felt careful servos caress and hold him, he was finally safe...he was venting heavily, his frame in agony, consciousness fading, but he allowed it to fade because he was in safe servos, he could finally rest, Ratchet was holding him, he was safe, he was safe...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cat had difficulty with some of these chapters,believed that partnership explored with humans may be interesting.


	17. Chapter 17

Ratchet had been anxious the entire time Wheeljack was away. The distance making him feel incredibly lonely. Usually he felt a hot presence while Wheeeljack was on base, so what was usually a warm welcoming feeling, was now cold and solitary. Ratchet insisted on working to keep his processor clear from over analysing and felt relief every time he heard his bond's vocals during their calls.

On the morning that Wheeljack was due back, Ratchet had been in recharge for longer than usual and came out of it to find that he'd missed a call from his bond, which caused him great distress. When he got the information Wheeljack was feeling nauseous and dizzy passed on from Jazz, Ratchet made sure to be ready, though he wasn't quite sure what he needed to be ready for. Ratchet had arrived to the front with Jazz to the sight of his bond on all fours emptying his fuel tanks hating every microsecond of it and with each retch Ratchet could feel his pain.

Switching from concerned sparkmate to professional doctor, he took him in his arms and rushed him to the medbay before anyone could ask what happened, anything could be wrong, time was everything, he would not lose him. When he arrived he ordered First Aid to assist him in getting the machinery prepared, he could feel Wheeljack's spark pulsing wildly, fast, erratic. He was going into system shock, Ratchet could feel the pulses but didn't allow them to deter him from his job.

“Ratchet, what's going on with him?” First Aid asked, watching Ratchet connect wires, tubes and lines to the limp frame.

Ratchet said nothing but First Aid understood, he took his place as standby, watching Ratchet adjust the machines and try to calm the spark that pulsed furiously on the monitor. Ratchet was using another monitoring device to find the source of his sudden attack.

“Fluids are critical, coolant critical levels, low absorption of energon in frame, internal systems damaged, overheating, nanite count low, there seems to be evidence of a slight electrical shock but that shouldn't be an issue with his frame, there is also evidence that his frame didn't absorb the energon properly, the brood on the other hand is thriving and have cannibalised parts of his system....but why” Ratchet fed tube after tube into his bond, he'd said this out loud so that First Aid would hear.

“How the.... I thought he had enough fluids? Could the humans have done something? We'll analyse tank contents, I’ll send through a request to Perceptor” First Aid quickly tapped on his pad.

“I'm gonna connect my fuel link to him to share nanites, then figure out what caused them to suddenly attack him” Ratchet pieced one of his lines and fed it into one of the tubes, if he couldn't transfer his fluid... he'd do it this way.

“You know what you're doing at least” First Aid monitored both of them, making sure Ratchet didn't overdo it.

“He's stable” First Aid noticed, after seven long minutes of helping to adjust and monitoring Ratchet, who was beginning to overdo it.

“That's enough, I might have to do this again too” Ratchet said while he took the piece out of his line slowly, bandaging the area, then moving towards his bond's helm.

“He's gonna be ok Ratchet,” First Aid said as he watched Ratchet kneel towards him, caressing and nuzzling his helm.

“He's going to be in extended recharge.....we can't be sure how long for, could be longer than average because of the parasites” Ratchet said.

“I understand, Perceptor just let me know that he took a sample and he's analysing it's contents, now that Wheeljack's stable, I believe we should try to figure out exactly what happened.” First Aid came to aid in analysing Wheeljack.

“The damage to his internal systems... that's why he's gone into extended recharge, the things aren't even the same minerals and yet they attempted to....no, they did, they broke them down into their barest components...Jackie....” Ratchet stopped.

“The machine beeped that there was minute traces of toxin within his frame...you mentioned shock, perhaps the brood believed they were in trouble, that might be why everything went wrong.” First Aid looked at it.

“The zap must have been the thing to send them into a frenzy and cause them to sap more energon, leaving less for his frame, we're lucky we got him back in time, doesn't appear to be enough to have too much of an effect, but it did put his frame into shock, new nanites should take care of it...still, it's too close for comfort” Ratchet started to calm down.

“How long do you think he'll be in extended recharge for?” First Aid asked.

“Probably an Earth week, we gotta check on the brood now....I don't want to but...”Ratchet went silent.

“I could do it for you if it's too much” First Aid replied calmly.

“NO, I have to be here, I can take it” Ratchet angled the machine, noticing his bond had grown in just the two days he was gone, swollen in his mid and more matter in hips and thighs, he felt an ache in his spark at what he was enduring, the sight so different to what he was used to...

First Aid had noticed Ratchet's poignant expression but chose not to say anything, he himself was rather surprised and saddened by the situation. The once sleek sporadic speeder changed so much in shape and form in such a short time while stuffed with these parasites. He watched them squirm on-screen, happily guzzling Wheeljack's essences.

“Yuck... they're not gonna get that much bigger are they? What are they doing anyway?” First Aid was disgusted.

“They seem to be fine, whatever happened, they fixed it themselves, using pieces taken from Jackie's internal systems it appears....Perceptor said they're gonna grow larger still...collectively the size of two newborn sparklings...” Ratchet replied.

“Scrap, is he even going to be able to go through with this?” First Aid asked concerned.

“There's no choice remember...there's just under forty days left, he has to make it, even if he keeps ending up here, you remember what they said would happen if anything went wrong...” Ratchet seemed hopeless as he observed the tiny creatures convulse occasionally. 

Ratchet watched them through the screen, which showed a clear picture, tentacled creatures all wrapped up in translucent pinkish purplish blue leathery orbs, they'd grown considerably since his first sight of them, unwanted guests residing in a space that was never meant for them, a space that was meant for their sparkling, he shook the thoughts and turned off the machine, venting heavily.

“If you want to get some more rest and clear your processor, you can, I'll tend to Wheeljack, you can watch him later, we'll rotate shifts, Perceptor said he'd be glad to help out with small things, but complex surgeries he cannot do.” First Aid was forceful towards Ratchet.

“Also” First Aid continued “Make sure to get a good dose of energon if you go driving, I'd tell you to rest instead, but you'll just ignore me, don't push yourself” he finished

Ratchet knew he needed to clear his processor and was thankful for First Aid's forceful nature, he'd done what he could for his bond for now, it was up to his own systems to repair his frame and he knew that he would be able to do that, he headed out for a refuel. 

Ratchet was unsure of what to do, he hardly did anything for himself, sure enough he would read or watch things in his spare time or even go on a drive, he usually did those things with his bond and rarely by himself. He had far to long of a time to waste, what was he meant to do? 

Ratchet came to the conclusion that he'd go for a long drive, he'd rested enough, perhaps he'd spy some Cons, there hadn't been any sight of them recently despite them encroaching days ago, but it could very well be a trap or a feint to get them to lower their guard. He was careful anyway and blended in much better than many of his counterparts. It wasn’t uncommon to spot ambulances around the mountains, many humans would get injured or lost around the area, sometimes Ratchet would find them and allow them to hop into his back and take them to town, it was risky, but a life was a life and he was a doctor, his duty certainly extended to the inhabitants of this planet too.

When Ratchet walked through the halls he spied Jazz, holding Marissa in his servo, patting her short black hair, Marissa twitched an almond shaped eye in irritation.

“I don't think she likes that Jazz” Ratchet pointed out.

“But it's so soft” Jazz continued.

“Isn't it a little patronising?” Ratchet retorted.

“Yeah, it was fine before, but now it's getting uncomfortable, can you stop please” Marissa asked with shaky vocals.

“See, she's not happy” Ratchet said.

“Ok, sorry I'll stop, anyway, I was taking her to her new quarters” Jazz said excitedly.

“Hey, is Wheeljack gonna be ok? I'm worried about him...” Marissa asked looking at Ratchet filled with worry.

“He's gonna be fine, he's in Med right now, Aid is taking care of him for today, but he's gonna be out for about a week....” Ratchet's mood dropped again.

“Hey, he'll be fine, that bots been dragged through Kaon and back, he survived being in Con servos multiple times, he's gonna push through this” Jazz said, noticing Marissa's confused face at what was stated.

“Yeah....” Ratchet replied, glad that Jazz was positive, but he was extremely worried about his bond, this was different...

“I hope he'll be ok, it's partially because of him we have a chance, hey Jazz, let's go see Wheeljack instead” Marissa said.

“Sure, is it alright if you ride on my shoulder? It'll be easier for everyone, hey Ratchet, go for a drive, clear your processor a bit, catch ya.” And Jazz was off.

Ratchet was glad they were visiting Wheeljack, Ratchet was proud of him for organising this to an extent, he knew the idea was Marissa's, but Wheeljack's sweet mouth was what sold it he concluded. Ratchet pictured placing soft kisses over his scarred beautiful mouth, he then came back to reality when he bumped his shoulder into the door on his way, transforming to his alt and hitting his acceleration, he took off, headed up to the top of the mountain. 

Ratchet enjoyed climbing the roads of the mountain, sure he disliked the dirt and made sure to scrub and disinfect himself whenever he returned, but the view from the top was always enjoyable. It was well worth getting grimy and it also allowed him to sweep the surrounding area admiring the scenery and also for Cons from afar using scopes. This was one of the few routes he'd take alone, Wheeljack and himself had been up the top countless times together before.

When Ratchet reached the peak he transformed back to his root, obviously after making sure he was safe to do so and found a spot to spy. Through his scopes he looked around for anything of note or interest but after a while of searching he found nothing, so he instead observed the local wildlife. Small feathered winged creatures flew, birds was the human term, he spied a larger brown clawed one with hooked features sitting in what looked like a nest, he'd seen them before up here, but not so close, he tried his best not to disturb it.

He enjoyed the sounds of blowing breezes, songs of chirping at the top of the mountain and the wayfaring scent of the wet humid forests from nearby, all of which were things he'd never experienced on Cybertron. He eventually heard a beep from his datapad letting him know that Perceptor was done analysing and that Ratchet was due for a call, he begrudgingly accepted that he needed to go back, he'd come back here another time.

Making sure to quickly douse and disinfect himself on his return, he then travelled to Perceptor's lab. 

“The results showed there was no tampering with samples, no poisons detected in contents, the humans have been cleared” Perceptor sounded quite relieved.

“Wheeljack did call me last night about getting zapped, he said that he believed the human leader sabotaged his device to get him there, Jackie said he wanted one of the eggs until it was revealed they were worthless, but I’m not sure that's enough to throw them off him” Ratchet retorted, building rage in his vocals.

“Should we even look into that? This is our shot at peace, we have it in our servos, if this exchange goes well and Miss Faireborn reports well, both us and the humans will be for the better, if the humans want one, they can ask the Wildlife Protection Commitee” Perceptor mused.

“I think everyone would agree that peace is better than mistrust, you mentioned call?” Ratchet felt himself begin to calm down, he'd been aware that his moods were all over the place, well, more than they usually are anyway.

“I believe the person who's calling is The General, he said he sent you some security footage and is on hold currently, I did it on purpose, he was quite rude to me” Perceptor said with a chuckle as he watched Ratchet's face scrunch up, noting it wasn't as intimidating as it usually was, but he'd not dare bring it up.

“I better grab it then.” Ratchet noticed Percepor's reaction and relaxed his features, he did notice they started to soften with Wheeljack's state becoming more prominent, his bond's predicament was a pain for both of them.

Ratchet was met with a professional voice filled with officialisms and greetings, Ratchet returned them, eventually they reached the entire point of the conversation.

“I hope you enjoyed the little 'show' your little mate put on or whatever the term is for you” The voice on the other side said.

“What did he do? Anyway that little zap he had caused issues, he's out of commission for a week, I'm not going to say blame or anything, but until this ordeal is over, he's no going to your base, Doctor's orders” Ratchet bellowed menacingly.

“Understood, no more calling until it's over, not like I was planning too after that little 'session', the zap was an accident, I...I was calling if you could send over some medical information, so we can get to understand your species more, no doubt you've read about us already” The General's voice became shaky, Ratchet knew he spooked him and flashed a slight smirk.

“I'll send you the bare minimum of what you need, granted you keep your end of the bargain, we need this to work out, for both our kinds, what did Wheeljack do?” Ratchet asked, lowering his vocal menace.

“Make sure to watch it in private, he suggested I pass it on and I've now since deleted it and certainly learned my lesson, enjoy.” The General hung up.

Ratchet found it odd that his demeanour had shifted, usually the man was ruder than that? Ratchet wondered what the video could be, he had a possible idea and rolled his optics at the thought, his bond exposing equipment would mean more information for Ratchet to send about things he'd rather not share about themselves to the humans.

“I think I can guess what the show was” Perceptor said laughing.

“I think I can too......Primus Wheeljack...” Ratchet was too damn tired to deal with his bond's slag.

“By the way Ratchet, I've been harvesting large quantities of energon from the planet Wheeljack discovered, the energon has a strange property in it, it seems to act a similar way as the liquid the creature pumped into Wheeljack with his first encounter, calming, relaxing and pleasing, perhaps it will aid him in his carry, calming him down” Perceptor added.

“It's worth a try, I'll make sure to give him some, as long as he's fine with it” Ratchet replied

“Perhaps try to consume some yourself, I'll continue to research and log Wheeljack's condition, even while he's out” Perceptor said as he turned to continue his work.

“I'm going to gather up that information then see how deep a pit our striped friend has dug for himself” Ratchet continued, getting the hint and leaving for the Medical Wards.

Ratchet made sure to gather the bare minimum necessary to suffice the human's needs, he'd rather them not know of their weaknesses, even if it was useful against the Cons, the knowledge could affect the Autobots too. Ratchet would have preferred to leave out the extreme detailed reproductive information, but that was specifically requested, Ratchet hoped they would not use it against them. He sent it via his pad, gritting his denta and bracing as it transmitted.

Ratchet returned to his berth to prepare for the midnight to morning shift, he had to care for his bond and most likely donate his own energon to keep him going, he needed to rest and refuel, keep strong for his bond. Ratchet was surprised by his own lack of a need to interface, but considering his bond was away and this was not a normal carry... of course things would be very different and more erratic than the norm.

Ratchet thought to watch what was sent to him, the video did indeed show what Ratchet had believed it was, Wheeljack in full view self servicing, the camera caught everything. Ratchet would have been mad, no, furious if it was any other bot for revealing themselves to humans, forcing him to detail medical reports on things he didn't want to give, but Ratchet had to forgive him, the situation he was in was a part of that reason, the other was that his bond certainly made his engine rev, even with his distended form, he was still his sleek sexy speeder.

Ratchet decided to keep the video for himself rather than delete it. He fell into recharge, he knew this week would be more resting for him than working, he needed his frame well refreshed so he could help his bond, he felt like he was sparked himself. He also needed to up his own energon intake for this, but it would be fine, it would only be for around a week right? A week consisting of refuelling, resting and tending his bond...He really would prefer to be doing more than that, it sounded boring.

 

It had been seven incredibly boring days of recharging, refuelling and caring for his bond, nothing else and he still had no signs of coming back online. Ratchet noted that he looked as if he was beginning his last stage of a frame build....if he was carrying a single sparkling of his own frame size, for some reason it made him both angry and upset. 

Ratchet had no idea why he was angered the entire shift, perhaps it was because he wanted him to online. He was eventually relieved by First Aid and walked out. Ratchet was about to head out for a day trip to relieve the tension in his frame but bumped into Sunstreaker and Sideswipe. It came to his attention that they hadn't seen each other for a while, it wasn't uncommon to not see other Autobots for extended periods of time, especially those that were scouts or were sent out on tasks, they could be away for weeks at a time, not to mention the fact that the ship was huge and times were always different.

“Hey, long time no see Ratched” Sideswipe mocked.

“Yeah yeah, using that term are we?” Ratchet replied, monotonously as usual.

“Wretched Ratchet, we haven't seen ya for ages, been busy have we all? We miss Jackie, rumours say he keeps going in and out of Med? What's that about” Sunstreaker asked.

“He's..... not in a good state, it's confidential currently” Ratchet replied, attempting to keep his tone.

“We've been working our afts off to chase and keep the Cons away and ya can't even tell us what's up?.....” Sideswiped remarked, staring at Ratchet's features, then towards his twin, they both smirked.

“Looking a little soft in your expression Ratchet? Think we're stupid? No wonder Jackie was all over the joint, rumours that he's carrying something might be true, something to do with that portal and whatever it is, it's growing fast” Sunstreaker added, smirking wildly, not at all phased by Ratchet's expression.

“His condition is confidential, you two aren't authorised to visit him either, I’m going out now, get out of my way” Ratchet shoved past them, the two bots simply snickered behind him, commenting on how his frame looked lately and laughing obnoxiously.

Ratchet stormed out, he was thankful they made fun of him instead of Wheeljack, they did it to get a reaction, but he never reacted, they wanted answers, but he wasn't going to supply them, he wasn't the one who would, it would be Wheeljack if he wanted to.

Ratchet came back late at night then took over First Aid, he hoped he would wake up soon...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cat says this chapter was difficult to write, things get even more crazy later on.


	18. Chapter 18

A slight flash of glazed blue illuminated the unusually dark medical area. Wheeljack was slow to online and surprised to only see flashes of light from equipment, rather than the usual bright white that blinded the optics of an onlining bot after being in recharge. 

Wheeljack tried to move any part of his frame, but was met with resistance and restraint. Wheeljack was still groggy from his recharge, venting deeply, he tilted his helm to the right side, noticing nothing but tangles of medical wires and equipment, which were lodged into his arm. He tilted to the other side to see his bond sleeping on the job along with more wires, he chuckled lightly at the scene.

'This is fine, all I remember is burning up and feeling nauseous, then I was purging....then nothing.' He thought as he retraced his steps 'How long have I been...,' Wheeljack tilted downwards as much as he could, getting a glimpse of his frame.

Wheeljack panicked, his vents opened wide as he took deep fast intakes, tears pricked the corners of his optics.

“NO, NO, no, no it's grown, MAKE IT STOP, PLEASE!” He cried out loud enough to wake Ratchet.

Wheeljack sobbed, venting fast and heavy, shaking his helm violently. All he could feel was disgust and hate, consumed by his own panic and disdain.

“You're up? Jackie! Jackie it's me, I'm here, you've been out for an entire week, I'm glad you're online now” Ratchet said calmly, attempting to reduce the panic his bond was in, gripping his servo, wracked with grogginess and second-hand emotions.

It took some time for Wheeljack to calm down to a point where he was cohesive enough to have a conversation with as Ratchet rubbed at his servo and calmly talked words of endearment between telling him to calm down.

“It's been eight days since you've been out Jackie, it's early morning now, that's twenty-one days, almost halfway through” Ratchet said in a calm manor.

“I was out for that long?” Wheeljack said, attempting to control his venting, he was glad he was out for that long, if it had been a day and he looked the way he did...

“I'll be honest with you, most of your systems shut down, everything was low, your frame was overheating and there were pieces that were cannibalised, had to feed you my own energon reserves to keep the nanites up....well, on a positive note, you're not gonna have to deal with the human's base for the rest of the duration of...this... also, Marissa and Jazz are getting along well” Ratchet informed.

“A system shut-down, feeding me your own reserves and cannibalised parts? Only the cannibalised from the inside part is new to me” Wheeljack replied, attempting to lighten the mood for both of them. 

“Also, why am I restrained?” Wheeljack continued.

“I knew you'd try to get up the moment you onlined, so I tied you down, for your own protection” Ratchet replied, shaking his head at Wheeljack's 'comedic' remarks.

“Well, untie me and let me up, I need to see how bad it is and not atrophy right? You're here so it's fine” Wheeljack replied grumpily.

“Don't use that tone on me, grumpy aft, I'm not sure if you'll want to see your frame considering the outburst you had earlier, you'll also be lethargic and need to ease yourself back into it” Ratchet said, equally as grumpy while he undid the bindings.

“I went through the initial shock, but how would you feel if ya' woke up an' found ya've doubled in size cos ya' carrying volatile spawn huh?” Wheeljack replied venomously, attempting to sit himself up but finding his body to be far too heavy without the use of his arms, visible annoyance seeping across his dermal plating.

Ratchet said nothing as he undid the last of the restraints, gripping Wheeljack's servo and pulling him up, feeling his increased weight from the parasites. He helped his bond onto his pedes and gritted his denta at the frame that was before him, he seemed so different, a tinge of anger flushed for a second but he shook it away. 

“Ugh, I thought before it was hard....I feel like my alt's a fraggin semi...” Wheeljack whined as he gripped his bond for stability, he felt so alien in his own frame, unaccustomed to it's added bulk.

“Come one, you aren't that big yet and that's pretty mean to Prime” Ratchet retorted.

“I’m not there just yet..... , now walk me around till I can stand myself....then I'll look in that mirror, ugh, you're pushing too hard Ratchet!” Wheeljack snapped unexpectedly, he was weary, infuriated, the extra mass he wasn't used to exhausted him and to top it off he could feel each individual egg pulsing within him, one of which was too close to his spark chamber for comfort.

“After this, do you want me to leave you to yourself? Because that's what it seems like right now and perhaps you need to recuperate alone” Ratchet said, trying to mask his annoyed tone.

Wheeljack grew silent, clutching Ratchet tighter, he was upset and angry, but lashing out wasn't going to make the situation better. Wheeljack then vented deeply and let go of Ratchet, feeling the full force of his new centre of gravity, which would be something he needed to endure for another thirty days....around another Earth month. 

Wheeljack paced slowly, carefully placing each pede in front of the other, slowly growing accustomed to his new movements. There was no longer a confident saunter in his walk, none of the shake or presence he brought when he entered a room, he was instead ungainly, awkward and his posture shifted completely to accompany his bulging midsection. Wheeljack knew that this new way of movement was just the beginning for his frame and it would only suffer the larger the brood got. He wondered if he would continue to even be able to stand and walk once he entered the later stages of this gestation.

Ratchet felt his rage swell up again as his bond struggled with his new-found shape, the knowledge that he wasn't carrying their own within his chamber, their empty spark field, the emotions began building again. He had to admit that it bothered him, seeing the small mech change so rapidly and suddenly while carrying something neither of them wanted against his will, forcibly altering him, Ratchet clutched his chassis over his spark.

“Why do you look so angry at me...I'm sorry I was being a jerk, ugh, I deserve this don't I, I let that thing do this to me, I didn't fight enough...” Wheeljack said poignantly, he then uncovered the mirror, which was hidden for this exact reason.

“Jackie, I'm not angry at you, it's the situation, that thing attacked you, and like you said you had no idea this would happen, you were doing what you needed to do for the base, I love you no matter what happens, you'll need to rest again today and maybe you need to be alone for a bit too” Ratchet responded calmly, he hoped he was angry at the situation, in truth he couldn't tell, whatever was happening was because of their bond, both of them felt it.

Wheeljack smiled at Ratchet before he looked at himself in the mirror, he was ready, well he hoped he was ready to see what had become of him.

He thought he was prepared for this, he thought he could take the revelation. The thing that stared back at him was hardly recognisable, the white of his paint seemed off, his dermal plating filled with energon blushed a slight bluish pink, his abdomen rounded and large as if there was a sparkling beginning it's last stage, thighs increased heavily in mass and hips visibly wider, both in preparation for delivery. The only thing that made his frame recognisable was his scar, stripes and blinking finials that reacted to the grief and confusion that filled him.

“This......isn't me, this isn't me....no...no....no...” Wheeljack mumbled, venting deep and rapidly, optics beginning to leak again. He pulled himself away from the mirror, wiping the residue away, trying to calm his venting and stop his frame from burning, it would be much harder to keep things cool as this progressed.

“Jackie, you good?” Ratchet questioned as he attempted to calm his rising temper, he wouldn't reach for him in-case touch was too much to bare at this moment.

“I just need a bit...Primus....worse than I was expecting” Wheeljack said between vents, his optics finally stopped leaking fluids.

“Alright, I think I'm good now...” Wheeljack replied, turning to give Ratchet a weak smile in a vain attempt to convince them both it was fine...it was not fine, nothing about this was fine, he was hideous to look at, barely recognisable, how could Ratchet love him when he was carrying parasites? Suddenly there was a beep coming from Ratchet.

“Perceptor should be here to log you soon, I have to report to Optimus that you're awake, some of the equipment might need checks, you may have to work” Ratchet said back in his monotonous tone as he checked his datapad, causing Wheeljack's winglets to twitch up and down in annoyance.

“ I've been out for a week and you need to leave? Can't stand what's happening to me?” Wheeljack said, winglets continuing to twitch.

“Wheeljack-”

“Just go tell Optimus I'm fit for duty, I need to be useful again.” Wheeljack said with such venom Ratchet felt it in his spark as a pulse emanated through their bond.

“Jackie are you-” Ratchet was cut off again.

“Just go, please, I need to deal with this alone” Wheeljack responded.

Wheeljack instantly regretted what he said, he realised he didn't actually want to be alone as he watched Ratchet oblige and head for the door, or he did? He wasn't sure, but he was alone for now so he'd deal with that. 

He slammed a servo into his helm, he messed up again, pushing his bond away, he hoped he wasn't mad at him. Wheeljack was not fine, his emotions were uncontrolled, he could feel the brood pulsing and pushing outwards, causing further pain as they enjoyed creating misery for their carrier, emotionally and physically.

“You bastards just want to ruin me don't ya? Holdin' me hostage as you destroy and rip away everything from me, destroying my frame ain't enough for ya' isn't it? You've gotta break down everything....” Wheeljack felt awfully drained of energon all of a sudden, he reached for a batch that was labelled as 'Polypsys C37 dilute'. Wheeljack drank it, he knew it would make him feel funny, he believed that the substance had a much stronger effect when paired with the creatures, he was prepared...he hoped he was.

“Break down everything I've worked a damn lifetime to achieve, I was finally doing good, things were lookin up, the war was possibly in it's final year, I was excited, savin' maself for our second sparkling, Ratchet of course having the first, I'd not have minded the changes from that, bonding with them through the duration, but no, because of this whole fiasco, things are on hold, I can't do my damn job, can't even love...” Wheeljack paced awkwardly around roughly pushing a servo into his now large bulging abdomen, sipping the energon with the other, feeling it tingle down his intake.

“What did I do to deserve this? I just wanted this damn war to end, the death and suffering... That's all I worked for.” Wheeljack was getting tired wandering in circles around the room, over filling his tank with delicious energon, he could feel the soothing effects begin to take place.

“Maybe I'm just overreacting...” Wheeljack hypothesised as he sat back onto the berth, finding it difficult to set himself right as he waited for Perceptor to poke and prod at him. He soon came to the realisation that getting back up would be a mission and his response was to throw his helm back, let out an aggravated sigh and not bother to prop himself to his pedes unless he really needed to.

Wheeljack's features were furrowed into an uncomfortable rage as it took Perceptor far too long to finally enter, right now he just wanted to rest and check his datapad but it was on the other side of the room and he couldn't get up since sitting down. It wasn't actually that long of a wait for Perceptor to arrive, but to a bored Wheeljack it felt like forever.

The click and turning of the knob as Perceptor entered peaked Wheeljack's interest, then a wave of disgust made it's way around his frame as he watched Perceptor enter and react to his new form as if he'd just started dissected something.

“Morning, Morning, sleepy bot, my, you're looking quite round are you, carrying well I see” Perceptor mused as he rushed to place his servos over Wheeljack's uncomfortably tight abdomen as he explored the shifting beneath. 

“Ugh, why do you always have to touch-” 

“They really like me don't they, always excited to meet uncle Percy, they've grown so much, you've been lying down all this time I haven't had a good angle” Perceptor interrupted, Wheeljack twitched his winglets in annoyance.

He sat up straighter in response, pushing himself out more to let Perceptor feel them, he'd just let him do it no matter how sick he felt, if he calmed them now, they'd be settled for later, he could feel them squirming and shifting inside, causing him to feel nauseous at the unwanted sensation.

“It's nice to see you finally online, how are you holding up so far? Also, Ratchet won't be able to see you till tomorrow, First Aid will tend to you later on” Percepter asked, as he began to push into them, causing Wheeljack to wince with nausea as the brood shoved against his topped up tank.

“I'm feelin real queasy, fatigued, I can't stand up without help and I kinda wish I was still in extended recharge, can ya grab my datapad, it's all the way over there, why can't Ratchet see me till tomorrow?” Wheeljack's reply came out strained.

“Ratchet said he needed some time to recuperate himself and that it might do good for you to have some time to yourself, why don't you try to get it yourself Jackie?” Perceptor said that last part jokingly, Wheeljack still gestured to his abdomen. Perceptor got up to get it for him but not without a chuckle first.

“Ugh, I see, can you not go back to touching me, I just want to get this over with then relax for a bit and catch up on what I missed” Wheeljack said as Perceptor handed him his pad.

“Sorry, I can't help it, I just can't wait to see them in person, alright, well, sit up straight again, I can finally get some good angles.” Perceptor began snapping photos. 

“They're gonna be pleased to see how you're going, getting close to being halfway through now, excited?” Perceptor began recording.

“I wouldn't use the term 'excited', I'm glad that I’m getting closer to the due date, but carrying these things is hard work, waking up after eight days, it's hard to get back into it” Wheeljack said, his tone and smile forced, he tried not to think about what he'd look like towards the end, he tried even harder not to imagine the pain of birthing them and his... he finally derailed the thought thankfully.

“Thank you for sharing, well, I'll leave you to it, are you feeling the energon yet?” Perceptor asked as he noticed the empty cube.

“It's working a little now, I feel more relaxed now than before, well see ya, I’m gonna check what I’ve missed” Wheeljack laid down on the berth, feeling the brood shift as gravity changed, they were a constant presence within his frame, no matter how much he tried to block it out.

Perceptor waved goodbye with a smile, he knew that Wheeljack wanted to be left to his own devices, he worried for the bot, but he had full belief that he'd make it through this ordeal, he was coping, barely, but he was coping, even as his frame shifted so quickly.

 

Wheeljack didn't even notice that the entire day went by, it was late afternoon now, he was still on his datapad, he'd realised he hadn't missed too much and his awakening was perfect timing because tomorrow he needed to start repairing broken machines around the base, seemed some bots were being careless and threw themselves into them, probably the twins, he also had to rewire, refit, circuit some thing, a bunch of menial tasks too were on the list, some of which were priority and others he could space out as long as they were done in a week.

The only real issue was wandering around the base with his large form, not only because of the stares and questions, but because he'd usually barrel through and use his skills to navigate quickly. Unfortunately his usual zippy speed was replaced with slow and sluggish movements, he took deep vents and would prepare himself to leave the room tomorrow.

Wheeljack hardly realised when First Aid entered, he handed Wheeljack a strong smelling energon, he then realised the earlier one was mixed with usual energon so it wouldn't give him a massive hit, he was thankful for that.

“Good Evening, how was today? I'm glad you're online now, I had to run over to help my team with something, as soon as I came back, they needed someone, but Optimus sent out Ratchet instead, here drink this” First Aid replied as he gestured to Wheeljack to drink.

“Percy said he needed to recuperate? I'm feeling full I can't-”

“Percy didn't have the authorisation to tell you, I do, you have to drink this, it will help you go into recharge tonight, it's a mix of special energon, a relaxant and nanites. You gotta be up in as good a shape I can make you so you can began fixing crucial systems, in the meantime, there's more bots standing guard, they're gonna be awfully grumpy they won't be getting their recharge” First Aid informed, he was a genuinely kind bot towards Wheeljack and pretty much all his patients, but his energon coated words disguised his cynicism, Wheeljack recognised this.

“Heh, guess the team really does need me, too much for Percy to fix?” Wheeljack questioned between forced gobs of sickly sweet energon that made his frame feel even more stuffed than it already was, he was beginning to feel like he needed to recharge.

“Not his expertise, you know that and everyone knows only you have any idea of how those machines work, you didn't exactly leave any blueprints or hints on how to fix them, and you know that most of this team is filled with people who aren't necessarily tech enthusiasts, those bots are all on Cybertron, even with that portal, it's too dangerous to fetch them, they're too busy keeping the place from falling apart and an energy surge like that would attract the Cons there” First Aid replied.

“Yeah, I guess, well, to be fair I did built them on the spot and if I'm the only one who knows how they work, the Cons ain't gonna know either” Wheeljack replied smugly, he finished the last of the higher potent and felt like he was on a cloud, he began rubbing at the brood who happily indulged in the mix too.

“That's one way of looking at it” First Aid stared at his bulging mid, he watched the stretched plates shift as the creatures pushed outwards, the sickening forms within made First Aid's plates shift with disgust, he felt truly sorry for what Wheeljack was enduring, but the sight still made him feel ill.

“I'm glad....I'll have.......something to do tomorrow” Wheeljack replied, the mix making him slur his words, he continued purring his engine as he pat the brood.

“Shall I leave you to yourself?” First Aid replied, feeling queasy from the display, but keeping his professional practice mode on.

“Mmmaybe..... ya really packed this, or I was.....just ready....... what's in it?” Wheeljack questioned.

“It was Ratchet who mixed it, but I believe he put his own energon into it, he insisted this would be of help” First Aid replied, still ready to head out and gag.

“Thank.....Primus, it's been.......been rough, I'm ready to be left alone” Wheeljack replied, shooing First Aid, who responded by bowing his helm.

“Call out if you need me for anything, see you tomorrow I hope” First Aid wandered out.

Wheeljack felt calm, the presence within him hadn't stirred thankfully, the relaxant must have calmed them too, he hoped that Ratchet made their berth comfortable for his growing frame, the hospital berth was luckily outfitted with a soft pillow he could use to position himself into something more comfortable. He finally found the right spot and proceeded to vent calmly and controlled, he was in such a state of ecstasy from the mix that his engine purred loudly.

“Mmmmph, this is good stuff” Wheeljack moaned, eventually he fell into recharge as the effects finally hit him.

Ratchet had felt a tinge of guilt for leaving his bond in the state he was in, but his own spark ached with every pulse Wheeljack had sent, he'd organised to see Optimus while tending to Wheeljack, but before he did, he dug deep for some medication that would temporarily weaken their bond, he would only do it for the meeting.

Ratchet arrived in Prime's office, calm and ready, the briefing he'd received on his datapad outlined that he would be replacing First Aid for a mission as First Aid was heavily requested by other members.

“Wheeljack's awake, but I stashed enough of my energon reserves to help keep him going for around five days if needed” Ratchet said sternly as he took a seat, his pedes no longer aching as the medication took it's effect, he knew when it wore off it would hit him hard, but he needed to do it for this assignment.

“You'll be out as soon as we're done here and until tomorrow afternoon, I'm sorry that it's you instead of Aid, but we need you to help the Protectobots, Wheeljack will be fine for another five days yes?” Optimus attempted to sound confident, but Ratchet read him well.

“Understood, I trust you'll give him his assignments for tomorrow, make sure the others won't tease him, if I hear word the are I'm gonna scrap em... I'm ready to head out” Ratchet was looking forward to being out of the base, he'd been couped up far too long, he knew Wheeljack was in capable servos, so he needed not to worry, Wheeljack also needed to get back into things and wrap his helm around what was happening.

“I can see you're in a rush to leave, I won't hold you back” Optimus sat back in his seat, Ratchet knew he wanted to chat, but Ratchet wasn't in any mood to be pitied, so nodded his helm and left.

'What was the point of that Prime? I'm fine, I can deal with what's happening to Wheeljack...' Ratchet thought as he tried to convince himself as he headed off to aid, he needed to get out of base anyway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cat sort of just went with what came to mind...Things are escalating.


	19. Chapter 19

Wheeljack onlined as a loud noise was heard just outside his room followed by curses. He recognised the voice as Ironhide and wondered if he'd knocked something down or if it was pieces of his frame crashing to the ground from sparring with Warpath again.

Wheeljack was curious to see what the fuss was, he took deep intakes before he slowly got himself up and carefully placed his pedes on the floor. Even more carefully and slowly he shifted his weight so that he could stand up, before he'd simply leap out onto them, but with this new form, it was simply too draining and heavy to do.

He shuffled towards the door and spotted an energon cube that was left for him for morning from First Aid and he quickly downed it as his empty tank demanded to be filled, brood squirming for every drop they received, Wheeljack always felt like he was given scraps even in his own frame. At least the cube had a relaxant in it that helped to calm his frame and what was within.

Wheeljack cracked the door open slightly as he observed, his second thought was right, Ironhide had been damaged, his frame covered in dents and a light speckle of energon. Wheeljack's eavesdropping had been short lived as Ironhide's still keen optics spied the cracked door, age certainly hadn't killed the old veterans sight, or Autobot medics really were the best of the best. 

“JACKIE!!!, I haven't seen ya' in yonks, heard you've been having issues lately, hey ya' mask's gone, that's a good scar ya' got there, nothing on mine though” Ironhide bellowed as he pointed to his battered frame, showing off his battle trophies.

“Uhh, yeah thanks, I’ve just havin some frame troubles, be all right in a few more weeks, it's um....ongoing treatment, HEY, what was that crashin' n bangin' just then anyhow?.” Wheeljack hoped that Ironhide wouldn't pry too much, he usually steered clear of gossip, too busy honing and training himself to pay attention to it.

“Oh yeah, had a run in with some Cons, got me pretty good my bits are falling out, proper defence systems been out for a few days, we've all been waiting for you to online to fix it, in the meantime we're all doing extra patrols” Ironhide replied, the situation really was problematic.

“I better get that fixed huh, that's my first task for today” Wheeljack replied, he waited for Ironhide to walk into First Aids office, he did not.

“Well, why ya hidin' behind that door soldier, you've got work to do” Ironhide questioned.

Wheeljack wasn't in any mood to be seen by Ironhide in this state.

“Is First Aid around? Why don't you head into his office?” He tried to get Ironhide to move.

“It's not serious and Aid's getting supplies to help fix me up, you don't gotta worry bout' me, I ain't gonna judge” Ironhide said in his gruff voice.

Wheeljack thought he'd get it over and done with, half the base probably knows already, he was spied before and it's probably spread around, he prepped himself by in-taking deeply. He stepped out, frowning the whole time, Ironhide's optics widening in surprise.

“Have you been hiding all this time because ya sparked?” Ironhide almost yelled, Wheeljack shushed him, even though it was too late by this point.

“That's not the case, alright, I guess they haven't told you yet, I'm not sparked, just....gestating some alien creature.... got another thirty or so days left, it was an accident, and I’m hopefully gonna get good insurance for this” Wheeljack informed him sheepishly.

“I heard em mention that, but I assumed it was just a rumour... I'm sorry......but you're so big already, thirty more? Are you even going to be able to do this?” Ironhide questioned.

“Got no choice but to Hide, I'm twenty two days in already, gotta keep going, even if I'm in an outta med... the insurance better be worth it.” Wheeljack winced at Ironhide calling him 'big', it certainly wasn't a walk in the park to be carrying them, much less being utterly humiliated by admitting he was forcibly implanted by some alien creature, the memories of it violating his frame creeping back, making him shake.

“Hey, you right there soldier?” Irohide asked.

“Ye-Yeah, just, shaking with excitement to get back to work, you know how much I love using my hands.” Wheeljack smiled wanly.

“Yeah and I bet Ratchet loves it too” Ironhide snickered as he finally let himself into First Aid's office to be greeted.

'That slimy.... I underestimated him, he's not as dumb as I thought' Wheeljack told himself as he waddled out of the Medbay, he was on his way to the centre defence mainframe, apparently it had stopped functioning, nobody knew why. Wheeljack was aware the thing gave out sometimes, but most of the time he could tell when it was going to happen before it did. But being a carrier, berth-bound and away made it difficult to keep up with maintenance lately. 

When he arrived he set to see if the problem was a glitch, it wasn't, he wanted it to be a glitch so he didn't have to get physical. Normally he loved squeezing his way between his machines, creating and fixing, but with the extra size it would be tiresome and troublesome to do so. He hoped he'd still be able to get into nooks and crannies and most importantly... actually get out and stand up afterwards,

His first move was to try and figure out what the problem was, he tapped away as he did a search, noting that power supply was fine for the machine, although, it wasn't powering the external defence matrix. Wheeljack assumed it was a physical problem with wiring, either something had come out of it's socket or one of those earth animals had chewed the wire, the twins were in charge of keeping them out, so it's highly possible, or something in that area blew a fuse.

Wheeljack first had to see what the problem was, he hoped he just had to pop something back in, if something was damaged he'd have to replace it, meaning two trips and other bots would scrutinise him if he asked them to fetch the piece from his lab, they were a busy bunch apparently despite him often catching them lounging around on their shifts.

Wheeljack had to lay down and squeeze himself between the small crevice where the problem was. It was an easy fix before he was carrying, he'd be in and out and done, but right now he had to angle himself right while the brood inside squirmed and wriggled making it even harder, causing Wheeljack immense frustration. It took an unknown amount of time for him to finally reach the area, he was in such an uncomfortable position, he found the problem and he cursed at the top of his vocals.

“TWO FRIED FUSES, THIS IS ABSOLE SLAG!” Wheeljack now had to get two new fuses from his lab, problem was, he couldn't get out of the crevice. The brood shifted happily inside despite the circumstance Wheeljack was in. If he wasn't so round he'd be able to shimmy his way out, right now if he wanted to get out someone would have to pull him... someone would come to his rescue soon right?

After around fifteen minutes of trying to escape and failing, he heard the heavy pedesteps of fellow Autobots, snickering and giggling, immediately he knew it was the slagging twins.

“We heard ya' Yellin Jackie, nice to finally see- er I mean hear ya.” What sounded like Sunstreaker spoke.

“Two fuses right? We grabbed em when we heard you yell, we were close to the maintenance area, but you owe us” Sideswipe giggled.

“Yeah, yeah, what do I owe you?” Wheeljack said as two fuses slid into his helm, it was certainly on purpose.

“Oh, we'll let you know” Both recited at the same time

Wheeljack shuddered, the twins would demand favours for anything they did, even without asking, he should have expected much.

“Fine, fine” Wheeljack replied, trying not to sound pissed off, they'd resort to irritating him even more then.

“We've heard about ya' little experiment, a little someone I'm not gonna name managed to listen in on the conference you guys had, rumours say you'd be around twenty-two weeks, we're all counting down the days” Sunstreaker said in a sing song tone.

Wheeljack shuddered, he knew it couldn't be kept secret, bots were suspicious and nosy, even more so for the past few months because of the pressure from the humans, they all wanted to know everything, even if it compromised privacy.

“What's the point of a brief if everyone knows already?.” Wheeljack finished replacing the fuses, he heard the zipping of electricity flowing and the beeping that told him that it was back online.

“Woooweee, the patrols will finally be able to recharge” Sidewipe exclaimed cheerfully.

Wheeljack attempted to shimmy himself out, his abdomen scraped audibly, causing him to cease and attempt to suck it in, his body felt so heavy and much too large in the crevice. He kicked his pedes around trying to grab something with them to assist in pulling, but to no avail, he was definitely stuck and could hear the loud rumbling laughter of the twins.

“Can't ya' pull yourself out? There's plenty of room for you under there” Sideswipe remarked between laughs.

“Can't be that damn chunky yet Jackie, you want us to pull ya' out? It'll cost ya another favour though” Sunstreaker asked, still giggling.

“Ugh, yeah, I might need your help, but please don't...” Wheeljack was defeated, if he refused, who knew how long he'd be stuck here, he couldn't wait for this nightmare to end, even the things he enjoyed were ruined by the presence of these parasites.

Wheeljack felt two servos in each pede as they pulled him viciously. Wheeljack felt the scraping from the ground and the bottom of the system, he let out a light pained squeak as his bulging mid got stuck again.

“Jeez Jackie, you put on mass haven't ya', that experiment must have really screwed ya'” Sideswipe said between strains.

“What in the Pits of Kaon....” Sideswipe ripped Wheeljack out from under the machinery and instantly let go of the pede he held, covering his mouth with a servo.

“If it was Ratchet's, this would be great material to rip you for, but making fun of this? Well that's too far....” Sunstreaker said as he looked towards Sideswipe, both bots nodded to each other in approval.

Wheeljack was relieved, he already felt awful about what was happening, he didn't need the twins to make him feel worse.

“So.....it was a tentacle monster from your portal right? What are the deets?” Sideswipe asked.

“You can't ask him that? And besides, obviously he was...just look at that bulge, he looks like he's beginning his last frame build process” Sunstreaker stared as it shifted.

“I was... it put it's....everything too sweet..... I couldn't move.....sick....... then suddenly.....pain? Pleasure?.......counted thirteen” Wheeljack began to violently shake, his venting increased, flashes of the attack played, he rolled to his side a curled into a ball hugging his pedes, he felt the burning touch of tentacles on his shoulders and began to sob.

“I let it.......I should have......disgusting....foul....” Wheeljack was melting down.

The twins tried desperately to calm him, but their touches made him shudder more, they had no idea what to do, they screamed his name, but he wouldn't respond. Sideswipe then ran out while Sunstreaker watched him. When he returned, he dumped icy cold water over the shaking bot, who's optics then shot open and his venting seemed to slow down.

“Crisis averted?” Sideswipe asked.

“I don't think that's how you deal with this sort of thing, next time be careful of what you say you glitch head!” Sunstreaker screamed.

“How was I suppose to know.....ya' know what? We'll only require one favour from you not two, is that alright.” Sideswipe helped Wheeljack to his pedes, he was heavy, and that simply made Sideswipe feel even more awful about his comrade. 

“It'll do, I'll be fine now” Wheeljack replied, trying to regain his cool and push any remaining memories from his helm, once this ordeal was over it probably won't bother him...probably.

Sunstreaker eyed Wheeljack's frame, it looked so different, it was hard for him to accept that this was the same Wheeljack. He noted his voluptuous thighs and hips, he felt his face burn and spike hit his array.

“Can....can I touch?” Sunstreaker asked as he already placed his hands over the brood.

Sideswipe joined in, both bots were curious, Wheeljack didn't bother to shoo them they were enjoying themselves.

“I can feel the eggs individually, this is so gross....but cool” Sunstreaker said.

“They're moving too!” Sideswipe remarked.

Wheeljack was too tired to care, until he felt a rogue set of servos brush his hips then his thighs, Wheeljack's winglets shifted in confusion, he then stepped back and slapped at the grabbing hands.

“Alright, too handsy, I’m done with you two, I've gotta go speak with Percy.” Wheeljack turned around to head towards Perceptor's lab, a voice called out.

“Damn, you've really filled out Wheeljack, when you've lost the eggs, you'll be a real looker” Sunstreaker remarked, he said that out loud didn't he...

“Too bad for you, all this is for Ratchet” Wheeljack said in retort gesturing to his aft.

“Sneaky, you'll make anyone turn heads at those shapes” Sideswipe said, snickering at Wheeljack's comeback, teasing.

“Right, well, I'll be off, don't break anythin' or I'll take matters into my own hands and use ya' frames to make human garbage disposals” Wheeljack said, noticing the silence after he said it.

Wheeljack noticed that he spent a fair bit of time fixing something that was usually a cinch, he was glad they had assigned a week to get everything done. What would take him a day now took much longer because of these parasites.

Perceptor greeted Wheeljack when he arrived at his lab and then got straight into things. Taking pictures, scans, touching, invading Wheeljack's personal space.

“It's much later than I was expecting, wasn't it a simple fix? I also have activities to do, please make sure to be on time when I tell you” Perceptor scolded Wheeljack.

“I got stuck..... I had a panic attack, this damn condition makes it so much harder to do my job Percy, can you just.....you're not the one who....grrr” Wheeljack felt the rage in his frame.

“Oh, well I'm sorry that happened, those wildlife people are a pain to deal with, you have no-”

“I HAVE NO IDEA? ME?” Wheeljack wasn't having it today, he just wanted to recharge, he'd suffered enough for today.

“Ugh, I'm sorry, I used the wrong.... ok, we're done, just go.....” Perceptor shooed Wheeljack away, he vented deeply. Perceptor was never good with words, he reminded himself of that fact and left in a huff instead of snapping at him.

As soon as Wheeljack was about to head to his own berth he'd been missing for days, he received a call to meet Optimus Prime, he groaned “What now? WHAT FRAGGIN NOW” 

Wheeljack waddled into Prime's office, his face contorted into a tired frown, every step he took required more energy than he had right now and his pedes and backstrut ached from the activity he'd been doing, making him feel even worse that it wasn't anything like his usual day.

Optimus had a concerned look on his face, the form in front of him struggled to angle himself to sit on the chair, when he did, his legs spread wide to avoid the discomfort. The sight filled Optimus with pity, pity that Wheeljack did not want.

“Ratchet will have to be away for another five or six days, it can't be helped, he can't be contacted either unless he contacts us” Optimus informed.

Wheeljack felt dreadful, he'd hoped that he'd be able to apologise for being an aft to him yesterday, at least he'd be well fuelled due to Ratchet's quick thinking to make sure he had extra nanites stored. He hoped his urges would stay off because he wouldn't know what to do with himself at this stage. Wheeljack began to wonder if Ratchet had taken the mission on purpose, to get away from his horrible misshapen form, angry that his stupid little bond had let some creature force it's young into his frame, changing it to suit their needs as they please, it was no longer his own, but it was the parasites now.

“Wheeljack, Thanks for getting the defences back online, many of the team will be grateful they can finally have a full recharge at their desired times, I heard you had trouble with the machine... are you ok?” Optimus asked.

“I got it fixed... the condition makes it take a lil longer.... but I will get everything done soon, I promise” Wheeljack responded trying his best to sound like his enthusiastic self.

“You've got the main issue, please, don't overwork-”

“I have to get things done soon..... once I hit after the thirty mark...” Wheeljack went silent.

“I understand, but please, we're here to help you, just ask, I'll debrief the rest of the bots if you like as well” Optimus said calmly.

Wheeljack nodded, it was high time the rest of the crew learned of the hideous situation, of his sickening display, how utterly repulsive and disgusting he was.

“You're dismissed.....but if you ever need anything, I'm also here” Optimus replied, watching Wheeljack struggle to get back to his pedes, the sight of his most active comrade becoming sluggish pained him, he hoped he'd recover after this.

Wheeljack was finally able to enter his berth, Ratchet did indeed get the pillow while he was gone, but before he could hug it and bury himself in blankets, he downed one of the cubes that was left in his room and made sure to cleanse his filthy disgusting frame. After, he was buried in blankets and everything was dark, Wheeljack clutched the pillow close and finally allowed himself to cry, all alone save for the parasites within, changing and altering him however they saw fit.


	20. Chapter 20

Wheeljack was prepared for a boringly sluggish week until Ratchet was back, on day twenty three Optimus had notified the rest of the base of Wheeljack's predicament, which was done during his time being checked by Perceptor, who, like usual, poked and prodded, smirking at what was forming.

A check up from First Aid who examined his frame carefully, his touch making Wheeljack shudder as his frame begged for loving touches and caresses, First Aid was gentle and sweet like Ratchet, causing him to beg internally for release, quickly running into his berth to alleviate himself, only to be cut short as a loud bang hit his door.

“Fix Teletraan 1, it's on the fritz and we need it up now!.” A voice called out, sounded like Jazz.

Wheeljack groaned as he exited the berth, his spike swelled and ready against his panel and valve moist, he tried to hide the discomfort they created as he exited his berth.

“Sorry, Marissa and I have been busy, only came back this morning, glad to see you up, we need Teletraan online” Jazz blurted as he grabbed at a disgruntled Wheeljack dragging him towards the necessary mainframe.

“Hiya Wheeljack, good to see you're ok... you're looking....um.....great” Marissa said, struggling to find words.

“No need to lie to me, I feel as awful as I look, What's up with Teletraan?” Wheeljack had trouble keeping up with Jazz's pull, he struggled to stay moving as his pedes scraped along the ground, he was glad his array was finally calming down now. 

“Teletraan just stopped working and won't listen, you gotta get it back online, I need to zero in on a location, I think energon is there.” Jazz continued pulling Wheeljack until they arrived to the large computer.

Wheeljack wasn't ready when Jazz let go causing him to collapse to the ground, he simply laid there until Jazz helped him back to his pedes. Mumbling in annoyance, Wheeljack ran a few diagnostics into the mainframe.

“Found the problem, a connector has been unplugged... that's what's stuffed it, I need reconfigure everything now” Wheeljack groaned as he placed it back in and typed commands.

“That's all it takes?” Marissa asked.

“It's a main connector, someone must've been playing with it or a circuit break caused it to pop for safety purposes, I'm reconfiguring and it should be running at optimal soon... how many times have I said to be careful when using this damn thing when we're in an energon shortage, it MUST be kept on low usage, or the circuit will unplug itself” Wheeljack responded, grumpier than before.

“I'll make sure to keep an eye out and to tell off anyone who overloads it” Jazz replied, dismissing and thanking Wheeljack as he stroked at Marissa, they seemed to be getting along well, hopefully the humans will be pleased.

Wheeljack spent the rest of the day doing his chores...well what he was capable of before retiring early for rest, a somewhat productive day.

 

Wheeljack swore the next four days were like groundhog day, fixing and upgrading broken things around the base, checking with Perceptor, sometimes checking in with First Aid and retiring early while feeling like he was a disgusting mess especially after biting into and awkwardly fragging the pillow as he whined and moaned for his bond on the night of the second.

On the fifth day Wheeljack began to panic, he felt so alone, his energon reserves were getting low, he missed his Ratchet and his self worth was depleted as he looked in the mirror and began to sob uncontrollably. He looked so round, so ripe, ready to deliver, he rubbed at the roundness, continuing his sombre cries as he wished he was due with his sparkling...Ratchet's sparkling.

He'd slept in extremely late, it was already late in the afternoon, but he paid no mind to the time, all he could do right now was break apart, staring at the insult in front of him. Between his maniacal state and fixation on his horrid form he had paid no attention to the frame who entered his unlocked room.

“Wheeljack...” a light calming voice echoed towards him.

“Hey, it's time for our check up” Perceptor said calmly, not trying to acknowledge the mess of the bot that stood infront of him as he picked up a cloth from a draw near his berth.

Wheeljack slowly walked over, liquid still pooling from his optics, Perceptor tapped the side to invite him to sit down and carefully dabbed away the moisture on his derma. He did not bring up what he had seen and Wheeljack was thankful, it didn't take a professional to know why the swollen bot was upset.

“Ratchet should be back tonight, he tried to contact your datapad, but you must have slept through it, your frame may be... you're gonna be even more tired, I think you've already began the effects” Perceptor said calmly as he carefully placed a servo around the swollen bot, who leaned in to hug him.

“I'm glad...Ratchet.....but.....does he.....love....me?” Wheeljack said between deep vents, he was delirious it seemed.

“Of course he does, you should have heard how worried he was about you, said that the group hit the jackpot and found a few weeks worth of energon, Jazz also found some too, so stocks are looking up, once you're back in the field, we'll have enough to turn the tides, especially if that insurance is good” Perceptor said as he stroked Wheeljack's helm, watching his finials light up and fade with his touch. Perceptor found within himself a tinge of jealousy that Ratchet saw such an intimate side of his friend, Wheeljack was a catch alright.

It took a few minutes for Wheeljack to finally allow Perceptor to photograph him, he'd calmed down significantly, which was good and the hope of Ratchet coming back lifted his spirits.

 

Ratchet made sure to stop taking the pills before he returned to his bond, he could already feel his lust and want rising as he imagined pinning the small round frame against the wall of their room and fragging him. The days away allowed him to think through things, think of ways to improve the situation, which severely affected both of them, physically and mentally especially for Wheeljack.

The Protectrobots were at least a fun little band to be around except for Blades who acted like a Con at times, luckily for the team he always buckled to Ratchet's or Hot Spot's commands and followed order well. They all seemed genuine and caring in their aim to improve human relations and did allow them to score a massive amount of energon as a village they helped had allowed them to use some from a hidden mine, which they had organised and were taking back to base now.

Ratchet took off immediately, his body shaking as he felt the presence of Wheeljack's spark, he wanted his bond, he wanted to frag him hard, he ran top speed towards the berth, nobody really batted an eye but Sideswipe and Sunstreaker, who both looked at each other and smirked as he passed.

Ratchet almost broke the door, his passion and lust controlled every wafer thin circuit as he picked up a confused but happy bond, hiking him up to pepper his derma with wet kisses.

“Ratchet.....I'm sorry I was......an aft....” Wheeljack said between the kisses that were placed on him.

“You were angry and upset....no need....Jackie... I need you, please” Ratchet could barely speak he was so turned on, his spike pressurising and jutting into Wheeljack's array.

“I've wanted this for a while” Wheeljack replied as he opened him array, he was then rammed into the wall, Ratchet's spike buried deep within him, causing him to yelp from the surprise but melt into the rhythm.

Ratchet pinned Wheeljack against the wall, opening his magnificent thighs to wrap them around his frame, thrusting violently into Wheeljack who was desperately trying to hold onto Ratchet, screaming with every wave of pleasure that entered him, it was enough to forget the large mound that of his paunch.

Ratchet felt his overload coming on as Wheeljack's valve tightened in it's own as Wheeljack let out a symphonic moan in approval, transfluid dripping onto Ratchet's servos, but that wouldn't be his only one. Ratchet continued to penetrate, causing an overstimulated Wheeljack to cry in pleasure causing his valve once again to tighten and leak out, Ratchet held onto his own as he caused one more and gave in as his spike twitched and spent his own fluids, both bots reaching a harmonious climax within each other's arms, Ratchet carefully fell back holding Wheeljack as he did.

“Welcome home gorgeous” Wheeljack said huskily, venting heavily, he noticed Ratchet open his spark chamber.

“I need this Jackie, please, please” Ratchet begged.

“Ratchet... my memories....” Wheeljack shuddered, Ratchet would know and feel what happened on that dreadful night... could he manage?

“I know, but we need this” Ratchet pleaded kissing his bond and rubbing at his winglets.

Wheeljack nodded and smiled, allowing his own chamber to open, their sparks screamed for each other to be reunited.

“I need you, all of you, Primus you're so beautiful, even carrying those things, you're absolutely breathtaking” Ratchet said as he carefully traced a servo over his bond's derma behind his helm and pulled towards him into a passionate tender kiss as their sparks began to merge, waves of pleasure and satisfaction filled their frames as they felt each pulse from each other.

The night Wheeljack was assaulted was shared with Ratchet in vivid detail, he finally understood, he didn't wish to know, but it was necessary. Experiencing it together allowed them both to process what had happened. Ratchet assured him that it wasn't his fault, it was something that he wasn't able to predict would happen. The scene made Ratchet's spark pulse soothingly, he continued to convince Wheeljack that things would be fine.

Ratchet tried to get him to remember good and funny times, before the war, the strange conversations they had had while under the influence, their dreams and where they hoped to be. Wheeljack's mood gradually grew better, but Ratchet got hit with the strength of how Wheeljack felt. Feeling movement and nausea created from the creatures, he understood fully now.

Ratchet brought up his adventures over the past five days, telling Wheeljack of the haul of energon, dealing with rest of the team and how much he missed his touch. Wheeljack responded with a small pulse of reaffirmation and told him of the mechanical mishaps and how the twins upset him. Ratchet let his pulse soothe the striped mech as both fell into silence, simply enjoying the act of being one allowing their frames to feel the lovely sensations course through them.

 

Ratchet hadn't realised that they both had fallen into recharge until his optics onlined. He carefully pushed Wheeljack up, closing his sparkchamber and closing his soon after. He couldn't shake the feeling he was forgetting to do something, but he shook it away, it probably wasn't important. The striped mech stirred as he began to online.

“Morning, we fell into recharge, haven't done that for how long now?” Ratchet questioned, holding his bond up, positioning him in his lap, pulling his helm into the crook of his neck with one servo and gently patting his back with the other.

Wheeljack was still trying to figure out his surroundings as he still had the sensations from the meld sparking within him, he rubbed his helm into Ratchet, purring his engine softly in delight.

“So what are we spose to do today? I don't have to do any work till tomorrow...” Ratchet asked.

Wheeljack was quiet aside from the purring of his engine, it seemed he just wanted to be like this, so Ratchet obliged, they'd stayed in late, today would just be the two of them, then they'd figure out what to do.

Perceptor entered late in the afternoon with a smile, luckily Ratchet had finally been able to cleanse both of them and clean the area they messed before his arrival. Wheeljack was on the berth, reading his datapad with Ratchet organising and cleaning their room. Wheeljack had been a little slothful with keeping up. Ratchet forgave the mech, being as far along as he was. It still bothered him that he had around twenty more days and looked ready to pop already, which was the same thing Perceptor said to him after the photos, causing a quick shooting glance from the swollen mech which caused Perceptor to leave quickly shortly after his job was done.

Wheeljack was particularly quiet and aloof but smiled wanly whenever Ratchet looked at him. Ratchet chalked it up to exhaustion and shock as he was possibly trying to comprehend everything, he wouldn't let him examine him today and his venting was deeper and more frequent, most likely the cause was because of how hard his frame had to work to keep him and the brood cool. Perhaps he'd be himself again in a day or so, Ratchet wouldn't try to coax him too hard, the poor bot had been through far too much and pressuring him would only exacerbate the problem.

Both bots enjoyed the company of the other despite their quietness. Wheeljack had seemed a little dazed all day with Ratchet making sure he drank all his energon. It was good to see the striped mech finally start to recharge, the poor thing was going to need so much of it. Ratchet poked at his spark chamber, it felt a little itchy, he then placed a servo over his own abdomen, the sensation from last night he felt from the bond flashed in it and he needed to touch to make sure it wasn't truth, venting in relief when he felt his flat mid, although it swelled slightly more than usual from the transference of their meld. Eventually Ratchet retired next to his bond, feeling drained from the previous days out.

 

Wheeljack onlined before Ratchet this time, feeling better today than he did yesterday. He wanted to bond again, wanted to feel Ratchet's presence within him, so he started to peck at his recharging bonds derma in an attempt to wake him. The attempt was successful as a groggy Ratchet moaned at the presence.

“Sorry about not talking yesterday, just felt too damn dizzy and not with it ya know? You didn't take that trip to get away did ya? Ya took pills to dim the bond too... it's not affecting ya too much is it?” Wheeljack asked softly.

“I gathered you were too out of it to talk, I took the trip to help Aid and the Protectobots Jackie and yes I took pills, I'll admit to that, but I needed to do the job ok...” Ratchet replied.

“I hope so, the haul was good was it? Enough for a few weeks right?” Wheeljack asked.

“Yeah, I told you in the meld didn't I?” Ratchet asked.

“Yeah, but I want to hear it from ya mouth...wanna do it again?” Wheeljack asked earnestly as he pushed his glossa into Ratchets mouth, opening his own sparkchamber.

“MMMph” Ratchet replied leaning into his kiss, opening his chamber in response.

There wasn't too much to discuss during this meld so they both simply allowed pulses to travel through their frames. Ratchet mentioned that he'd be on tonight. Wheeljack thought he might go into his lab, he hadn't been there for a while... but going in was still difficult for him, which is to be expected. Ratchet simply told him not to look in cryo and Wheeljack obliged.

Neither bot knew how long they were within their meld, but eventually they were disrupted by a knock at the door, which prompted them to finish with a final powerful pulse that relaxed them both.

“Ratchet, you gotta go see the twins later, you're spose to be on now, First Aid is working on Ironhide, he had a collision with Warpath again” Jazz exclaimed, a light snicker emitting that belonged to Marissa followed.

Ratchet obliged, closing his spark chamber and leaving a light kiss on Wheeljack's forehelm as he got up to work. He exited and nodded at Jazz who went into the room to chat to Wheeljack, the tiny human on his shoulder smiled and winked as he walked past him, Ratchet was confused at her strange gesture...

Ratchet arrived at the med bay to relieve First Aid, who had just finished putting Ironhide back together.

“Why do they always play chicken with each other? An armoured vehicle and a tank charging towards each other? Utterly ridiculous, how many times do they do it a month?” First Aid retorted, annoyed by their stupidity.

“Too many times Aid, believe it or not, but Warpath has ended up here after a run in a few times, ol Hide just refuses to admit that he may be a little to out of Warpath's league cos of those few times” Ratchet replied, he agreed with Aid, they were both idiotic.

“One day, we're not gonna be able to put ol Hide back together and it will be entirely the cause of his own stupidity” First Aid replied casually, causing Ratchet to laugh in agreement.

“Well, I'm gonna go recharge, the twins will be here soon, those two have less than half a processor each, there's not even a complete one between the two of them, at least they're good fighters, cept when they screw their paint jobs” First Aid replied, Ratchet nodded in agreement.

Sunstreaker came into the bay by himself, mentioning that Sideswipe would come in after, he sheepishly informed Ratchet that they both needed to have their bolts replaced. First Aid had luckily reminded them, Sunstreaker grumbled about not needing one as there were no mechs or femmes he'd taken a liking too, Ratchet informed him that it was mandatory, everyone had to have theirs replaced and to stop squirming as he placed his servos into his chamber. Ratchet definitely knew then that poor Sunny had definitely not had any in a while but he said nothing of it. He was a professional and it was rather difficult for everyone on the base and some bots had specific tastes which weren't around here on Earth. At least they still had their toys Ratchet thought.

It didn't take long at all and when Sunstreaker left, Sideswipe came in confident and smirking, even though he too squirmed from lack of stimulation and gasped as Ratchet carefully placed his servo into the mechs chamber, causing Sideswipe to feel utterly embarrassed. Ratchet was unfazed by the mech's outburst, it wasn't the first time a bot felt weak at his touch, sparkchambers were an intimate area and some bots were sensitive, he often tried his best, but sometimes it was impossible. Sideswipe left rather quickly afterwards, Ratchet checked the board crossing their names off.

It had been around six hours into his shift before his spark began to itch again, he assumed it was excess from his bond then it hit him, he remembered what he'd forgotten, he checked the board on his datapad realising that he had forgotten to swap out his and Wheeljack's bolts ten days ago. He'd been far too busy and forgetful because of the circumstances, he was about to panic but reassured himself that it would be fine. 

He called Wheeljack in to replace his, not mentioning it was late, he checked the date and luckily it was before the expiration date which was in two days, not like Wheeljack's frame would be able to produce a spark as his chamber was already taken and his body elicited chemicals telling him he was sparked.

“You alright? I was just in the lab and I didn't freak out, that's good right?” Wheeljack asked watching Ratchet remove his own bolt.

“Yeah, I'm fine, just a lil jumpy you know, been a bit since we bonded like that” Ratchet replied, he took the bolt out, the expiration date was the same day, but because of his size, it was recommended though not endorsed, to replace it around ten days before the expiration just in case.

Ratchet gritted his denta and hoped it was fine and working still. If the bolt had expired, it would take at around ten days for his body to react to it again after replacing it, if it had failed....He hoped he wasn't sparked, not at this time, not during a war and certainly not with Wheeljack how he was... but at the same time he also wanted it to be so. He'd simply wait it out and see, it would be another week or two before he could tell if he was, he hoped he wasn't, but then he hoped he was, but for now he needed to keep quiet and see.

“Hmmmm, ya seem a lil worried, hey I'm fine Ratch, see, I'm still able to stand, not bedbound yet” Wheeljack said giggling, which caused Ratchet to smile between his anxiety.

“I finish in around an hour, I'll join you then ok? Perceptor come round?” Ratchet asked, trying to deter Wheeljack from questioning him.

“He did yeah, well I should probably retire now, frame's been worse for wear lately, ugh, give it up for day thirty, only twenty more considering they don't come late, hope they're early, can't wait for this to be over... but... ugh” Wheeljack groaned Ratchet smiled at him, he knew he thought about the birthing process, that was something that worried him. He hoped he wouldn't have to open up his bond, he also didn't know if he'd even be able to do that as the brood may think it was direct harm.

“Well see ya tonight Ratch” Wheeljack continued, he then placed a kiss on Ratchet's derma and waddled off.

Ratchet smiled as his bond awkwardly made his way out of the med bay, even if the things inside weren't theirs, his bond was still adorable carrying. Ratchet thought of how it would be if it was his within. It then occurred to Ratchet that he may be like that sometime in the next few months and he shuddered, Ratchet scratched at his chamber then headed towards his mid, mapping the shape.

“I wonder... well we'll have to wait and see...” Ratchet said to himself caressing his mid, trying to picture what could become of him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OHHH, Ratchet dun goofed.


	21. Chapter 21

Wheeljack was in his lab trying to fix the drones he'd made, their cheery attitude made both Perceptor and himself deeply uncomfortable and he'd neglected to fix them for far too long now. It took hours and hours of recoding the things to get them to an even remotely acceptable level of cheer, he thought that he'd done enough for now.

Wheeljack wanted to use the portal but whenever he attempted to switch it on, he froze. Even after applying the deterrent formula, he still couldn't bring himself to do it. He sighed at himself and called Perceptor for help and to be 'mapped' as he described it.

“So you called me in to help with using the portal? Still not comfortable on your own yet?” Perceptor questioned.

“Would you be? I'm still trying to adjust to my own lab, I'm gonna be reorganising it soon, that might help, I also fixed those stupid drones too so they'll be less creepy and hopefully more useful” Wheeljack replied, grabbing at his bulge as the things inside began to stir, gritting his denta as he felt his insides shift with them.

“I'll just put deterrent on first, I think one brood in the bots is enough” Perceptor said grabbing the spray bottle.

“Why don't ya try it? I'd love to see how you fair in this ridiculous predicament” Wheeljack replied laughing at the image of their roles being reversed.

“Ohhhh, just let me take your pictures” Perceptor said moodily, causing Wheeljack to giggle in response as he straightened himself out, he looked down and groaned at his inability to see his own pedes.

“Day thirty one, your plating is starting to look like it's going to be reaching it's limit once you progress further, you know the under plating and circuits may overstretch too, if that happens, I’ve heard that's painful” Perceptor noted, feeling a tinge of sympathy for his friend.

Wheeljack went silent, he kept putting it off to worry about coming this far, he knew that in a few days he would be looking overdue... not with someone of his own frame size, but with Ratchet's...well he wished it was so. He knew he'd also have to disassociate this carriage with one he would have in future, but the mockery within his own frame angered him whenever he spied his form, wishing and wanting for it to be Ratchet's within, he wished he could give him a sparkling.

Perceptor grabbed at Wheeljack's mid and began to massage the plating, Wheeljack would rather Ratchet be doing it, but he knew Perceptor was in an attempt to be kind and help his frame. He was grateful, but he wanted Perceptor to open the portal, not massage him.

Wheeljack finally spoke up, “ Hey, can we open the portal and send the drones already? We gotta run more tests” he said sheepishly.

“Oh right, sorry, well get somewhere safe, I'm switching on the drones, now I’m switching the portal aaaannnd” Perceptor tapped the button and it opened, the drones floated calmly into the portal, beeping occasionally.

“Oh thank goodness you fixed those abhorrent things” Perceptor exclaimed.

“Ye....yeah, no m....more annoying cheeriness huh?” Wheeljack was completely still, unable to move and barely able to talk as his denta chattered in fear and his frame compressed as he tightly hugged himself, optics focused on the portal hoping no creature climbed through or if it did, it left him be.

It was only open for half an hour but to Wheeljack it felt like like an entire day. The moment the drones appeared, holding energon and soil samples, he closed the portal himself and it's closure made his entire frame relax as he vented with relief.

“All done now, we can relax, I'll take the soil sample, the energon it's up to you, but I'm going to procure some for myself, our stockpiles are looking good, I hope this war ends soon” Perceptor said happily, leaving Wheeljack's lab with a skip in his step.

“Me too....” Wheeljack said sombrely to himself as he rubbed at his swollen mid.

 

Ratchet had been pacing back and forth through the hallways racking his processor, he wanted to mention to Wheeljack that there was a possibility of the bolt expiring and he could possibly be sparked, but he didn't know yet. Anxiety and panic was high within his frame, should he? Or should he wait till he could get results? Should he tell him? How would he react? Perhaps he was over thinking. The bolt's expiration would explain why his frame had experience heightened transference, perhaps it was the second meld that sealed it.

He knew that eventually the spark monitors would be able to pick up on the smallest glimmer of a developing spark. He hated keeping things from his bond, but he did not want to get his hopes up for something that may or may not happen. Ratchet decided that he would tell him if there was a glint of a spark, if there wasn't, he'd rather not mention it just in case it hurt the engineer. 

Ratchet was on duty for the night on his own, so he took the liberty of using the spark monitor. Now he knew it had only been a day, but right now he was unable to access higher processor functions as he was wracked with concern. The machine didn't pick up anything, but he knew he'd have to keep checking, it took a while for one to appear on the monitor and every bot and carry was different.

When Ratchet's shift ended, he was unable to go into recharge, his processor kept going, so instead he drove, attempting to stop the thoughts but he wasn't able. He went fairly far and had to hide in a cave as he saw a blue jet, unmistakably Thundercracker scouting the area. The bot transformed across from him, he looked around then picked something up in his servos, a tiny four legged creature with red fur, it leaked red from what looked like an open wound.

The blue jet appeared frantic as he tried to stop the leak. Ratchet knew that he had been a scientist on Cybertron, he wasn't quite sure of his speciality, but the bot seemed upset which was strange. Decepticon commanders were said to be monstrous and had a hatred of life, but here was one trying desperately to save what the humans had described cruelly as 'vermin'. Eventually the red stopped leaking and the creature began to wriggle, he'd successfully saved it, he then placed it into his cockpit and flew off.

Ratchet eventually left the cave and sped back to base fast as he could, he went too far out, how could he be so careless? And why did his spark ache so much? He didn't return till the afternoon and when he entered he ran into his berth to find Wheeljack trying to bend over to pick up his wrench but was unable to, his derma was contorted into such an annoyed look that Ratchet had to laugh.

“IT'S NOT FUNNY” Wheeljack yelled, unable to bend down, with the silliest angry look Ratchet had ever seen.

“Jackie....you need help?” Ratchet asked stifling his laughter at his adorable over encumbered bond.

“JUST, just give me....a bit.” Wheeljack kept trying to bend down, and failing to, Ratchet simply stood and watched his struggle, waiting for him to ask for help.

Eventually Wheeljack just sat down, he refused to ask for help, he picked up the wrench but found himself unable to get up off the floor and instead just groaned loudly as he laid back, causing Ratchet again to burst out laughing at his pain as he walked towards him. Wheeljack simply responded with a huff.

Ratchet poked his glossa out at the bot, causing him to return the gesture, albeit Wheeljack's was much, much longer. Ratchet then sat down behind him as he placed his hips in his lap, wrapping servos around the small bot and caressing his large mid, stroking it as if it were his own, nibbling at the smaller bots neck cables.

“I can't even bend down any more, I can't transform either...” Wheeljack responded sadly.

“I'm here Jackie” Ratchet replied between bites, rubbing and caressing the bulge of his frame.

“Glad ya back... I...” Wheeljack slowly opened his valve covering, moaning at the gentle rubs on his mid, he wanted this.

“First question, then we'll get there, why were you building in our room?” Ratchet asked moaning into Wheeljack's shoulder, pushing his servos between plating, attempting to ignore the oval shapes within and focus on his roundness.

“Argh, I was...fixing up one of the toys, I assumed you used it, cos you broke it...” Wheeljack replied, gasping as he heard Ratchet open his covering.

“ I see, sorry about that, was gonna ask you about it, but it escaped my mind” Ratchet bit down on a cable, causing Wheeljack to yelp with pleasure.

“Percy came this morning too so that's done and yeah, that toy was a prototype, was fixing it then reworking it, like it?” Wheeljack asked, he tried to move himself onto Ratchet but was stopped, causing him to whine.

“I think I already grasped what it was about” Ratchet said, then he pushed his spike into the small bot causing him to gasp in pleasure at being filled, the poor little thing was soaking wet waiting for his spike.

Ratchet held onto him tightly, rubbing and patting his swollen abdomen and thrusting deep into him, Wheeljack seemed to enjoy this immensely from the noises that escaped his vocals.

“You're so heavy Wheeljack, so round.” Ratchet breathed, his spark beat erratically, Ratchet's frame had a strange feeling all throughout it, as if he himself wanted to be plump with their sparkling.

Wheeljack moaned softly and whimpered as Ratchet bit lightly at his winglets, taking turns to nibble at both as he rolled his hips up into Wheeljack while holding his frame down against him, burying his spike so deeply within his valve causing Wheeljack to whine and mewl in pleasure as he bucked in tune with Ratchet's moans and thrusts.

One of his servos left Wheeljack's bump and grabbed his throat, pulling and tilting his helm up to push his glossa down his intake. Wheeljack's valve clenched and overloaded when Ratchet's glossa entered for a second time pushing itself right down. Ratchet's spike drained itself within his valve and both bots moaned with the shocks from the aftermath... but it wasn't enough for Ratchet, who moved Wheeljack's stuffed frame to face him and laid down.

“Fill me....Jackie I want to be filled too” Ratchet's vocals were hoarse and crackly, he was hardly able to keep them online.

“Umm, I'm not sure if... well I'll try... we did one day want to try being sparked at the same time, at least for our second and third” Wheeljack giggled as he pictured them both in this predicament, it would be difficult to satisfy each other if they were both carrying, it would be fun though.

“Just frag me.... think my frame's jealous of ya or something” Ratchet pleaded.

Wheeljack opened his panel and felt his spike hit the bottom of his rounded paunch, it would be much harder to angle his spike into him with it in the way. Ratchet shifted himself to accommodate his bond's spike, it slid in with such ease into Ratchet's taut little valve causing him to intake deeply.

“Yer lubricated already Ratch, hungry aren't you” Wheeljack hissed.

“Frag me, do it hard, fill me... I want you” Ratchet begged as he lent up to lick at Wheeljack's derma.

“You've been actin a lil weird since our sparkbonding... did the feelin of these things make you loopy or somethin? Hope it wears off soon” Wheeljack said as he slowly pushed himself in causing Ratchet to hiss at how dreadfully slow he was going.

“Ye....yeah.....I think maybe.....should wear off..... Jackie I said to- OHHHH.” Ratchet was caught off guard when Wheeljack slowly pulled back then shoved into him and began to thrust quickly, the act made him struggle to keep cool. His added weight from the brood made thrusts sloppy and maligned but Ratchet didn't seem to mind, he did enjoy the extra bulk the bot had and moaned loudly when Wheeljack began to rub his anterior node as well.

Ratchet began to drool as Wheeljack's barrage of thrusts continually hit his interior nodes, the flashes of lights that emitted from his sirens preceded the overload and noise that would follow soon. Ratchet moaned so loudly that when his sirens blared Wheeljack swore they were the background noise. Sirens and moans gradually grew louder as his climax grew near. An ear-splitting scream amongst a cacophony of sirens marked that Ratchet had overloaded. He vented deep and squeezed at Wheeljack's spike, not letting any of his fluids escape, his sirens slowly quieted to a halt as he became dizzy from the pleasure and climax he'd achieved.

Wheeljack knew that the whole base had definitely heard Ratchet tonight, but the exhausted bot had no cares to give and whimpered delightfully at being filled. Wheeljack pulled himself out and Ratchet closed his valve covering, keeping the fluid inside.

“Mmph, nice and full....but it's not enough” Ratchet replied reaching out to pat at Wheeljack's bulge.

“Like this...” Ratchet soon fell into recharge, leaving Wheeljack utterly confused and needing to clean up somehow. Waddling to the shower to rinse himself off and grab a cloth to scrub. He cleaned everything up painfully on all fours, he felt far too large with eggs and it annoyed him. Ratchet losing his mind didn't help either, Wheeljack wondered if he was simply doing it to cope. They both so desperately wanted to be sparked, so desperate had they become delusional at this mockery? 

Wheeljack eventually finished up cleaning after pulling Ratchet out of the puddle somehow. He certainly couldn't lift him to go to their berth, so he instead fell asleep on the ground, resting his helm on Ratchet's spark chamber.

 

Ratchet began to stir as he onlined, he found Wheeljack recharging over his spark, he remembered what had happened the previous day and groaned lightly, the ship definitely heard him, but what did it matter at this point. He then thought further and remembered Thundercracker with the creature and the rule that any and all Con activity must be reported if seen, perhaps he should share it, but would they believe it happened?

Ratchet felt his spark pulse hard and painfully for a few seconds, it was enough power to kick Wheeljack into onlining, the smaller bot rubbing at the external part as Ratchet grit denta in pain.

“Hey you alright? What's that pulse?” Wheeljack asked once he felt it calm.

“Ugh, it's probably just... reacting to you, ever since our meld it's been strange, it's probably those things...” Ratchet said, if he was sparked, which he assumed he wasn't... symptoms usually wouldn't be this early. Perhaps his body was reacting to the emptiness of Wheeljack's carry or his hope was getting the better of him.

“OK then...but I'm keeping an optic on ya', perhaps maybe we shouldn't meld for the remainder of this... predicament, you've been so weird lately” Wheeljack questioned.

“Yeah sure if you insist, it should wear off soon.... anyway subject change, you wouldn't believe that I saw Thundercracker tending to a small red animal, I forget the name, he treated it's wounds and took it with him, it was bizarre.” Ratchet replied, hoping Wheeljack would press him on the state of Thundercracker and not his spark.

“WHAT! That's interestin', TC was a scientist, he had a mixed knowledge, can't remember if his major was in but it was either chemistry or physics, he studied both, I've heard from those who've defected on Cybertron that his heart wasn't quite in it and Earth was 'changin him'...fascinating” Wheeljack responded, Ratchet assumed the engineer would have known about him.

“Should I report it to Optimus?” 'What a dumb question', Ratchet thought to himself, but to be fair, his focus was waning as his spark pulsed erratically for a few seconds before desisting. 

“YES, this is proof that even Megatron's close command have some form of spark, perhaps if TC had some kind of interest in this world, we could use it to our advantage and possibly..... I think I’m getting ahead of myself” Wheeljack responded as his smile began to wane when he realised what he was saying.

“Perhaps Optimus would have the answer.” Ratchet agreed.

At that Perceptor had arrived, Ratchet got up carefully, helping Wheeljack to his pedes the sight of his stuffed bond made Ratchet's spark beat hard, making him wince.

“Day thirty three now” Wheeljack whined.

“I'll leave you two to it, I've gotta file a report” Ratchet replied, excusing himself.

Ratchet waved as he headed out towards Optimus's office. While on his way, he had an urge to peak into the medbay, he checked to see if First Aid was in. Walking into the office, he wanted to check the spark monitor again.

“You're not on duty till tomorrow morning Ratchet, or would you like to see me?” A kindly but intimidating voice rang out. Ratchet knew it belonged to First Aid, he couldn't use the monitor today, it would be far too much drama.

“I just wanted to check on everything, you know, my perfectionism and everything” Ratchet responded.

“I'm surprised you haven't rearranged this place yet, usually you do it almost monthly, I'm glad you haven't though, I don't want to spend another shift memorising everything” First Aid said cheerily.

“Guess I've been too busy to worry about the set up, besides, with the split times I don't get sick of the same as quickly as I would if I was on often... anyway, I popped in to check on you, I'm off to see Optimus now, good luck” Ratchet said awkwardly, hoping First Aid wouldn't prod him.

Ratchet turned to leave after First Aid gave him a confused look, he would have questioned him if he wasn't seeing his leader, but Aid would definitely stave off... for now. Ratchet was thankful that he kept Wheeljack's and his own bolt information to himself, but then again, that was the reason it expired, if First Aid were to question him... He'd worry about that when he got there.

Optimus was thrilled to hear the news about Thundercracker, a Decepticon who could possibly care about the planet they were on. They had had Cons defect before, like Skyfire, although, unfortunately he disappeared shortly after claiming that he wished not to have any involvement in the war, Optimus has sent search parties, but to no avail.

“Do you think attempting to contact him will work?” Ratchet asked, optics focused on Optimus's own.

“Perhaps, but he may use that to lure us into a trap or believe we are setting one up, I will try to allow Hound to contact him, if he loves this planet, Hound and the blue seeker may be able to relate through that common interest, although recently Hound has been reporting that Decepticons have been coming closer and closer” Optimus informed.

“Do you think they're planning an attack? What could possibly cause them to be this daft?” Ratchet asked.

“Could be low energon reserves making them desperate, we have been hitting known stockpiles hard and quickly, also using the formula from Wheeljack's portal, although, mixed with current stocks as it is an unreliable source on it's own until we test it further. It seems our previous tactics have not scared them off, if they do attack however, we should take Thundercracker as prisoner...” Optimus replied.

“Are you saying, to let them in? Even with our upgraded defences that's a risky move, well I mean, if we properly set up it could work... Wheeljack could prepare something that will get them, but in his condition... there's no way Optimus...” Ratchet replied, trying to keep calm, his leader had done risky manoeuvres before and Ratchet followed him, but Ratchet wasn't even sure Thundercracker would play along, he certainly didn't want to put his bond in harms way... he rubbed at his spark as it throbbed....and this if it were true.

“It's a last resort, I know my team and have faith in their abilities, if you all have faith in me and in chances, then peace shall be in our grasp” Optimus said in confidence, but Ratchet wasn't sure if he was talking to him or to himself.

“I have faith in you Optimus, my old friend” Ratchet replied in his best uplifting voice, faith was all he could offer to his friend.

“Thank you, dismissed” Optimus replied with a smile as Ratchet left.

Ratchet arrived back in his berth to the sight of Wheeljack lying on the floor, Ratchet wasn't bothered to question his bond and just accepted the sight. He quickly washed himself then took his place on the berth and played with his datapad.

“Aren't ya gonna say anything?” Wheeljack asked, giggling.

“No” Ratchet replied as he tried to read.

“Oh, ok, well umm, I was comfortable here as I tried to lie down to pick up the wrench I dropped that went under while I was fixin the mainframe here, but now I’m stuck...” Wheeljack said, Ratchet knew the bot was asking for help, so he sighed, walking over to pull the silly little mech up and into his arms, pedes dangling in the air.

“My hero” Wheeljack said in a mocking tone.

“What no thanks? Is it working yet?” Ratchet asked.

“Not yet, can ya help?” Ratchet asked.

“Only because you're stuffed...” Ratchet jested as he patted at his bonds bulge.

Wheeljack laughed at that and continued working on the project, smiling, it was so nice to see his bond finally able to do what he enjoyed and smile about it, except when he dropped or knocked an object, but Ratchet would simply pick it up and hand it to him. Observing his work while he leaned on his shoulder, rubbing and caressing his form, from his thick thighs, luscious hips and swollen mid, it would have been a perfect moment, if it hadn't occurred back to him that what was within was not theirs...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Maaybe sparkmelding when your bonded is carrying a freaky alien brood isn't the best idea...


	22. Chapter 22

Perceptor arrived far too early for Wheeljack today, who was in pain from his pedes to his back strut and it certainly didn't help that the brood kept struggling, knocking at his full fuel tank making him feel nauseous in the process. He would have liked to recharge with Ratchet today, but that was already ruined as he had to do the morning and day shift today.

“Morning, Jackie, you know the drill, also Optimus wishes to meet with you.” Perceptor said in a sing song tune that made Wheeljack's processor ache.

“Meet with me? Ugh, fine, alright, let's get this done” Wheeljack whined as he pushed himself off the berth, struggling to stand on his own pedes.

“Moody today are we?” Perceptor asked.

“So what if I am, just take the shots and do the scans, give it up for day thirty-four” Wheeljack complained mockingly as he stood up straight as he could for the shots.

“There we go, beautiful, I've been getting the folder ready for the meeting that will be held in say around, ten to twelve days from now, as usual Hot Spot has requested that First Aid take his place. Marissa is comfortable here, her and Jazz are getting along well, they seem to go out a lot together, oh I'm rambling, apologies, but you see here's the folder, look how scrumptiously you are progressing!” Perceptor excitedly exclaimed as he pulled out a folder that had detailed descriptions of the invasive photographs he'd been taking, along with internal scans that were provided by First Aid and Ratchet when he had them done.

“Far out... I've... I'm really huge....and still growing....” Wheeljack gathered, the day shots really put his growth into perspective, these past thirty-four days had made it feel like decades since he was slim, quick and sexy... he missed it truly.

“I don't get why this is so bothersome for you sometimes, being sparked would be far longer, about a year, why do fifty days bother you” Perceptor pestered.

“Because... because I would have chosen to, because I want to have a sparkling and I would have had time to mentally prepare myself and prepare my frame and chosen to allow for them to alter it, I would be able to meet them, whoever they are and they would be loved... they would be Ratchet's and mine...” Wheeljack stopped to gather his thoughts.

“The rapid expansion is... it's been terrifying, so quickly has my form changed, twisted, bloated into something barely recognisable, I don't look like or feel like myself anymore, I can feel them influencing me against my will, their doing, this doing is something I never wanted or consented to...” Wheeljack felt tears burning in his optics, “This mockery of a carriage is only a huge slap to the helm for us both, we've been waiting decades... centuries... no, MILLENNIA!, but our lives and now this war...ugh why do I bother...” Wheeljack's optics leaked slightly, frustration building within him, he knew Perceptor didn't mean to cause him grief, he also didn't intend to get this upset.

“I....I don't understand, but... I can understand your perspective, I’m sorry for upsetting you, I guess I didn't think about that side of things, for me personally it can be hard to understand the fuss about sparklings, I have no desire for any and would prefer not to change my frame for them, but I guess it's hard for others to understand the fuss I have about my creations... and I'd be upset about my frame changing in any way against my will too...” Perceptor replied.

“Apology accepted, I know you don't mean any malice, but sometimes it still hurts ya know” Wheeljack responded, wiping the fluids from his optics.

“When you do have a sparkling, I'd like to meet them, and I understand, you know I'm not the best at this socialising thing” Perceptor replied.

“Of course, yer a good friend Percy, even if ya can be a pain in the A-A-A-aft sometimes” Wheeljack responded to a pain that hit through his spinal strut and internals from the shifting brood.

“Pains aren't they, thanks, you're a good friend too, even though you've been a little moody, but I'll forgive you till you squeeze them out, I'll be there too” Perceptor responded.

“Oh please don't bring that up...” Wheeljack did not want to think of pushing them out, the due date getting closer and closer made him awfully nervous, not to mention their size and his valve...

“You better get to see Optimus quick” Perceptor informed, opening the door to let out a struggling to walk Wheeljack, who was thankful for the aid.

Optimus was waiting patiently in his office for the smaller engineer to arrive, he was a little later than he had hoped, but tardiness was instantly forgiven when he came waddling in to awkwardly take a seat, leaning back and spreading himself wide, an overly swollen mid on full display. The scene made Optimus uncomfortable, he'd grown so much since their last encounter, appearing as if he was overdue and ready to burst at any moment. Wheeljack picked up on his leader attempting to hide his emotions.

“Wheeljack...I called you in here to.... if you are capable... to upgrade weapon systems... I'd like to know if your immobiliser still functions...” Optimus kept trying to focus on the smaller bots optics or scarred lips, but the constant movement in his large distended abdomen kept drawing them towards it. Optimus was aware that the smaller bot had caught on as he rubbed at the discontented parasites within, Optimus only hoped the speeder wasn't offended.

“I thought my...urgh..... upgrades were up to tip top shape, the immobiliser is fine of course... what the pits is happening? This about TC?” Wheeljack had a sudden urge to purge his tank, he felt disgusting infront of his leader, who seemed uncomfortable at his form, but Wheeljack knew that it wasn't out of disgust, but out of pity.

“So Ratchet told you of Thundercracker... I assume he kept our talk to himself, if there is any way to upgrade systems or create weapons, we'll need them, but we'll need Thundercracker alive...I'm telling you this because Hound has been reporting that the Cons are encroaching onto our territory, they're desperate and I fear they may attack soon... most likely while you're still...in this state...” Optimus informed, looking down.

“Yeah, that's a problem, down one of the best stunt fighters in the squad, can't even assume my alt mode since I passed the Thirty mark, tried the other day but couldn't...so ya just gonna let em walk in... they'll be like fish in a barrel as the humans say. Well systems, that'll give me something to do for the next few days, keep me posted, I can still help...” Wheeljack said strained, nausea catching on, his spark kept picking up strange pulses from Ratchet's but he chalked it up to it's malfunctioning still from their bond...the stupid things toxins affecting his bond now too...

“Only if you are able, this is a last resort, but with their latest movements, I fear they may attack in less than a week...” Optimus said sadly.

“No worries, I'll start making some upgrades and thinking of new toys, I'll see how much I can do.” Wheeljack perked up, he was excited to get more work, he strained to push himself up and began to toddle off out of Optimus office, ready to spend the day working on upgrading systems.

“DISMISSED” Optimus yelled, surprised the overstuffed bot could move as fast as he did. Wheeljack hardly waited to be dismissed after an exciting assignment, nice to see it hadn't changed, guilt began to circle in Optimus, was this truly the only way for a shot at peace?

 

Ratchet had made sure the Medical Bay was empty before scanning himself with the spark monitors, he held in venting heat until the result showed nothing he realised, half grateful, half upset, but knew that it might not be picking anything up yet.

Since their bond...or even before it, he never felt quite like himself, Wheeljack's predicament was indeed affecting him and not just through their link, but his own feelings towards his bond... anger... he didn't like it at all, why should he be angry? Wheeljack was his love, his bond, the sire of the spark that may be within him... he should feel love not this.

Ratchet shook his helm in an attempt to push the thoughts, he would converse with his bond, when he was ready, for now he had work to do. 

The medical bay was rather slow, there wasn't much to do or patients to see and his spark kept pulsing too fast or too slow or the pulses would assault his frame, making him feel pained and tired, he decided he'd reorganise the place, he was sick of looking at everything and he needed to distract himself from the pulses.

Ratchet had finished before First Aid came in to relieve him, once First Aid had realised what Ratchet had gotten up to, the usually perky bot groaned and whined. He'd have to spend this shift memorising the new set up, leaving no time for him to question Ratchet. Ratchet was glad to have staved off the curious bots questioning, but he knew that it was simply prolonging the inevitable.

Ratchet was ready to go to his berth and read until Wheeljack was back, but that plan never came to fruition as the ambulance had grown tired rather quickly and had drifted into recharge almost immediately after his shift once he got into his berth.

 

Ratchet had found himself next to Wheeljack when he onlined, he took the time to explore the smaller bots features, tracing his servos over the curves of his frame brought on by his carry, his spark reacted in his chest filling his own frame with lust and want. He placed a light kiss on the bot's forehelm before checking the time and groaning at it being late morning, preparing himself for the day and afternoon night shift.

First Aid needed to pop out a little more often to consult with his team and to meet with the Aerialbots as the Cons were preparing, leaving Ratchet back to his original shift times. It was ideal for him as it meant First Aid would stave off questioning him and it left him able to use the monitors.

Ratchet hadn't gotten any readings and this was his fifth day, fluids welled in his optics, did the sparking not take? Was it never there to begin with? Or was he being too impatient and jumping to conclusions? Ratchet hit a servo to his helm, shaking it, everything felt strange and dizzy and he wasn't aware of how long it had been since he started. He pushed the feeling aside when Hound turned up with his external armour plating cracked and falling off in places with energon leaking profusely from open wounds.

“What happened to you?” Ratchet asked, vocals crackling as a pulse spread through his frame, he tried to cover it.

“Tried to contact Thundercracker, seemed a little timid, he cracked a boom, shot a missile and fled, think he thought I was tryin ta distract him, hit me good, he's tough” Hound responded.

“Why do you say he was timid?” Ratchet asked, static present, Hound looked at him funny.

“I caught him by surprise, seekers ain't never surprised ta' see us, it's strange, heard em say summin' bout Screamer, that Megs was keepin' a close eye on im', ain't allowed to leave base, mentioned Skyfire” Hound recited.

“That is strange but it explains why none of the scouts have mentioned spotting Starscream in a while?” Ratchet mentioned, his vocals were clear that time.

“Not a clue, but if I spot im' again, will attempt to communicate, I'm not sure if he'll play ball. Optimus mentioned his plan...I can let everyone know they're comin' fore' they reach us, Prime knows what he's doin' and if it protects the beauty this world has to offer....then I'll gladly defend it any way I can” Hound said eagerly.

Ratchet was quiet for the remainder of fixing up Hound, he could see on the green mechs face that he really wanted to ask him a question, Ratchet was preparing himself for any thrown his way. The green mech finally spoke up in a hushed tone.

“I don't know how to ask this... but is Wheeljack alright? I've seen him and he's... how should I say, struggling to stand, but when I spied him today, he was hummin' and chattering to himself, talkin' bout fixin' systems and fixin' up new 'toys', should he be doing that in his umm... condition? I mean it ain't a proper carry and those things may be delicate and Wheeljack...he's-”

“He's great at what he does, nothing is going to happen to him, Optimus asked him to help prepare, he's helping, doing what he's good at” Ratchet snapped.

“I see... just ummm a little concerned... this silence is killing me, how are you fair-”

“Finished, you shouldn't need any more than the rest of this day to rest up, you're free to go” Ratchet spitfired, shooing the confused green scout out of the office before he could wrap his helm around what was going on.

Ratchet felt a massive spark pulse shoot through his frame causing him to lose his balance, grabbing onto the side of the medical berth to help support his weight. When he recovered he felt his spike being to harden and began to moan, he needed Wheeljack, needed to take him right now.

“Jackie...mmm, oooh Jackie....I need you” he wept through their comms sending the pulses that he was experiencing his way, hoping the mech would come for him.

“Ratch? Ratchet what's up, your pulses are...ouch....hurting me, I'm trying to load delicate explosives” Wheeljack fussed through the comms.

“Drop it....I need to..... let me frag you” Ratchet demanded.

“Ratchet, give me a little more then I'll be right over” Wheeljack sounded worried.

“Don't make me wait” Ratchet could hardly get that out his vocaliser was filled with static.

It took far too long for Wheeljack to appear, Ratchet felt as if he could hardly contain himself at the sight of his bonds frame, his curves and rotund over filled abdomen caused his spike to pulse with need and want. He grabbed the small bot by his waist and pulled him recklessly and began peppering him with passionate ferocious kisses stopping the confused bot from voicing his concern. Wheeljack leaned into the kisses as he felt his own heat coming to fruition, locking his glossa in with Ratchet's.

Ratchet then pushed the bot away, twisting his frame away from him and shoving him over his desk, one servo on his helm and the other rubbing the full throbbing paunch of his bond as he pushed the bots pedes apart with his own.

“SPREAD” Ratchet demanded into his audials causing Wheeljack to whine gingerly and obey him, spreading them wide and opening his valve, it was difficult to be in this position, but he needed Ratchet, he used his arms to hold himself up while presenting his slickening valve.

“My good little mech” Ratchet purred nibbling at his finial as it flashed blue in response to the stimuli.

“It's good when you're obedient” Ratchet purred aggressively.

“Wha-” 

Ratchet shoved his spike into Wheeljack causing the striped bot to shriek, he wasn't lubricated enough yet causing a tinge of pain. Wheeljack liked it like that sometimes and mewled after feeling Ratchet's thick spike fill his valve, squeezing at it.

“I said, you're a good mech when you're obedient... lately...” Ratchet felt dizzy, his vocaliser kept fizzling and cutting out... something was wrong, but he knew that being in Wheeljack was not it.

“Ratch.... ya sure you're oooHHHH, OOHHH” Wheeljack was concerned but Ratchet simply began to thrust hard into his valve, which finally began to lubricate itself, he felt it begin to drip profusely down the inside of his thighs and onto the floor.

“Lately...you've been a bad filthy mech.... there's that lubrication, I love it when you're dripping for me Jackie, so needy” Ratchet growled, feeling any semblance of sense begin to fade, the meld still affecting his senses

“Ratch....Oh...Oh Ratch... what the..... the frag is-” Wheeljack's own vocaliser was cutting out as he received interference from Ratchet's spark which pulsed twice the rate it should and caused his own to whimper at it's power.

“My dirty....filthy......horny slut of a bond you are, lubricating for anything that touches them” Ratchet snarled into Wheeljacks audials, causing a vent to exhale from the striped mech.

“Disgusting filth...allowing entrance to their valve, letting yourself get fragged by that hideous thing” Ratchet hissed.

“Ratch? What the--- OHH.... AHH” Wheeljack's concern melted away once Ratchet moved his grip to either side of his mid and began to thrust hard and fast, sending pulses of pleasure through his frame as he knocked against his internal nodes and delight from his spark.

“So full and round...with alien spawn from letting in anything that moves, my filthy little slut.....it should be mine you're round with” Ratchet whispered, squeezing at Wheeljack's stuffed mid listening to the whirr of his fans, the roar of his engine and the heavy venting as he attempted to stay cool, finally overloading within his soaked valve. Wheeljack had hit his climax too as his valve tightened and a satisfied moan escaped the striped mech's vocaliser.

Ratchet felt fluids fill his optics, he had no reason for this, why? He began to feel his mood become balanced again. He looked down at his striped bond who was purring from the fragging, Ratchet hoped he'd forget or forgive him, he didn't use their safe word, so he probably didn't take his dirty talk too far... 

“I'm a dirty little slut am I? Wheeljack mewled.

“S...s....sorry... I took it too far” Ratchet replied as he slowly removed himself, watching fluids drip from Wheeljack's valve before panels close to trap it inside.

“Almost... I was close...” Wheeljack replied looking away.

“I just...I've been really upset with everything lately and I haven't found a way to express how I feel... with everything happening to you and the way you look... I wish it was ours” Ratchet replied, looking away.

“I gathered that... I feel the same, I wish I was full with your sparkling... but it won't be much longer Ratchet just a little over two more weeks and I'll be...” Wheeljack stopped, he wouldn't be the same as he was, he'd be different, his frame altered.

“Well if you don't like it, I can get-” Wheeljack was quickly cut off.

“No, it doesn't matter if I like it or not, it's you, your frame, you choose what to do and I'll love you whatever decision you make... if after this, you don't wish to carry again, I'll understand that too... I'll carry for however many sparklings you want” Ratchet replied solemnly.

“Of course I'd still want to carry Ratchet, I want to feel your sparkling within, create a life myself... maybe not anytime soon after it or not for a while but this doesn't mean anything, it was an accident, a mistake.... an experiment gone wrong, nothing more” Wheeljack replied, smiling, he knew his bond would love him regardless, he just wanted to hear it from him.

“We'll have to wait this out, it'll all be over soon... well lets get cleaning” Ratchet replied, he felt tired all of a sudden, but was still on duty till the night came around and again in the morning.

When they finished Wheeljack retreated to the berth but not before a long drawn out hug was administered to each other.

“Got an early start again tomorrow? Bah, well might as well sleep here then, I gotta start early too, still working on the updates and weapons, I'll see ya tomorrow” Wheeljack said after a cute yawn erupted from his lips, mouth opening wide and a glossa poking out as he did.

“Yeah, good luck with everything, if you need me just call” Ratchet replied, smiling wide at his adorable bond, who tottered out of the office awkwardly, still not used to his new-found girth, the poor bot looked to be very overdue with a large sparkling, it made Ratchet's spark ache.

Ratchet hadn't realised he'd fallen into recharge until he found himself in a corner in the medlab, luckily nobody had any issues so he was undisturbed, he checked the time to realise it was the next morning. A wave of nausea hit him suddenly causing him to rush to the nearby basin and purge his tanks, his spark felt too hot and pulsed violently as if it was being attacked, he rushed over to the monitor, he felt a voice call to him through his channel and shoot into his spark.

“Ratchet? Ratchet? Are you ok?” It was Wheeljack.

“Ye... yeah checking it now” Ratchet replied as he rushed to the monitor, anxiety and fear racing through his frame.

“Smash... smash...” A voice rang through his spark.

“Ratchet? What the pits are you-?” Wheeljack tried to contact him but Ratchet was preoccupied.

Ratchet got the reading on his monitor up and his optics began to leak, the monitor showed the presence of a tiny pulsing spark, it was not happy and was attempting to 'wrestle' with his own. He'd heard some sparks do this, especially if they were meant to be fighters, but he hardly expected it from either of them, especially this early.

“RATCHET ANSWER ME!” Wheeljack shot through their channel.

“It's....it's just a slight glitch on my end Jackie, not anything I can't fix” Ratchet replied, vocals filled with glitches and static, he wasn't ready to tell him, he was still in shock himself, this can't be real? That little mishap? This has to be a trick his spark is playing on him in his grief.

“Ya sure? Cos it felt like a huge surge to me and yer vocals sound a lil' fuzzy?” Wheeljack complained.

“As I said, minor malfunctioning on my end, bad visual playback last night” Ratchet replied, trying to get Wheeljack off his backstrut, he'd tell him when he was ready.

“Alright... but I don't buy it, Perceptor just walked in and we both have work to do, so I'll take it up with you after that” Wheeljack responded.

“I'll let you know when I get the results, I love you, see you then...” Ratchet quickly turned off their comms and sent a sweet loving pulse his way, it was quickly returned.

Ratchet kept looking at the monitor, he noticed the tiny spark finally stop trying to damage his own, he was grateful. He opened up his chassis and craned his neck to get a better look and saw a blinding minuscule blue ball of light next to his own spark, it stopped moving for a second then continued to rotate around his spark, Ratchet smiled and allowed his optics to continue leaking as he sobbed with joy.

“By the allspark... it's true” Ratchet said aloud wiping away at his face.

“I'm... I've been... sparked...” He told himself trying to grasp it, saying it aloud helped him to.

“Thank you” He said to nobody in particular as he closed his chassis and placed both of his servos over it, hugging himself tightly as he rocked ever so slowly, sitting with his emotions as he tried to process them... it would take quite a while and he couldn't tell a spark... not yet anyway.

“We're going to be having a sparkling” He whispered to himself, joy filled his frame, he could hardly contain himself or even grasp it yet, all he could do right now was to reassure himself that he really was sparked and he really was carrying as his optics continued to leak profusely from the joy that filled his frame.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh happy joy, a sparkling, it really did happen.


	23. Chapter 23

“Day thirty six now, got two more weeks till I... pop.... my bondmate's spark is goin' haywire and he won't tell me why, not to mention he himself has gone nuts... ugh we shouldn't have bonded, this process has been a wreak to both of us” Wheeljack complained, he was finding it rather difficult to stay on his aching pedes, his backstrut also felt so strained and the brood was reacting to the pulses that hit his frame like one of his unstable experiments, making him need to stroke at them to calm them down.

“Hmmm... Ratchet is upset, he's a resilient bot so I'm sure he'll get through whatever is happening, but you? Are you preparing yourself for... the birth? It's probably a good idea to attempt to do exercises to improve control and widen yourself for passage over the next fortnight...” Perceptor brought up awkwardly and noticed that Wheeljack's dermal plating lit up a shade of violet.

“Ratchet...I guess he was waiting for the right moment... but I knew it was something I might have to do, when we talked of sparklings we analysed all we'd need...I just didn't want to think about... giving birth to these things...” Wheeljack spoke lightly, the due date was coming, they may be early or they may be late, but it was coming and nobody knew when, or how long it would take to get them out of him, he wanted them out but knew the process would be torturous, agonising and potentially offline him at worst.

“Remember the exercises? You may not be able to get them removed surgically as they may see it as an attack and poison you, not to mention the need for them to survive” Perceptor replied anxiously.

“They will... I can't let my friends pay for my mistake, we'll get through this, everyone, now I gotta get back to work, dunno when the damn cons will attack until they do, or until Hound starts cryin', good thing he ain't ever cried 'Steeljaw' huh?” Wheeljack joked, he hear Perceptor laugh at the take on human sayings as he was heading out of his lab.

Wheeljack was glad that he'd grown more comfortable in his lab since rearranging it before his 'session' with Ratchet. He remembered what he'd said, calling him a dirty little slut but it was just dirty talk. Usually he liked it when Ratchet would call him his slutty little mech and degrade him, but the term had upset him for some reason this time. He let it slide, the feeling would fade once he was rid of these things, right now he had more important things to focus on.

He felt the brood stir, it was beginning to become more frequent and pained him more as his abdominal plating was starting to over stretch and the circuits beneath too were pulled, a mech of his size was never meant to hold a sparkling as large as what the brood was, it caused him great pain and anxiety.

“I absolutely cannot fraggin wait for you scrap pieces to finally vacate my chamber” Wheeljack said aloud to the shifting aching brood as their round shapes became prevalent from pushing out too hard causing Wheeljack to almost lose his energon.

Wheeljack eventually was able to continue with his weapons checks and upgrades, his immobiliser was primed and ready for when he was to use it against Thundercracker, he was the only one able to, but he still had much to do today.

 

Ratchet rubbed at his spark chamber, it had been hours since he found out about it and he could hardly stop himself from grinning like a glitch head as he merrily mixed medicines purring his engine to himself in delight. 

It was in the afternoon that Jazz had walked in, he'd taken a few shots to his chassis, fortunately, none of them had been major. Ratchet's main concern was the human, he looked down at her as red leaked from her head, Ratchet knew it was blood, it wasn't too heavy. She also had strange colours on her face, bruises Ratchet exclaimed she was conscious and she had a foul look on her face.

“I'm fine, no concussion, just a little bruised from the rock when you got hit, take care of Jazz” She ordered.

“But you're leaking and those marks? Aren't they the result of internal leakage!?” Jazz exclaimed panicking.

“Jazz, they're bruises, they will sort themselves out, in the mean time perhaps place something cold over them to reduce swelling, I took the liberty of studying basic human aid once I heard of Wheeljack's plan” Ratchet chirped as he wiped away the blood with an antibacterial substance and reached for a tiny coldpack, both of which of a small stock that First Aid and himself had made sure to keep exclusively for Marissa.... or any other human who would enter the base. 

“THANK YOU!” She exclaimed happily, taking the bandage that Ratchet had grabbed and placing it over the wound.

“Sorry... you humans are just so squishy compared to us...but that doesn't mean you aren't resilient on your own planet,” Jazz panicked at that last part reassuring her then continued, “ Ratchet... hate to ask but, what's got you in a good mood? Was it that umm...” Jazz stopped when Ratchet's derma had told him to shut it, despite his smile never leaving it.

“The what? The sirens?” Marissa questioned, Jazz gestured at her to stop, but she ignored him. She remembered them because they scared the scrap out of her until Jazz explained that being a few doors down from the medic and engineer meant that they could sometimes hear when they went off and more often than not it was pleasure and not an emergency, she was also mortified by finding that out, he did reassure her that usually they weren't that loud.

“Marissa...SHHH” Jazz insisted.

“We had a big mission together the next day” Marissa complained.

“I'm sorry... they just do their own thing... I'll let you know that Prowls go off when humans try to enter his chassis, it's pretty funny...” Ratchet whispered, not bothered by the small human at all.

“Really? So yours go off when you....” Marissa stopped when Ratchet eyed her, she heard from Jazz Ratchet was the only bot equipped with sirens to not be able to stop them when he was on the receiving end of a good frag, which was too much information for her, but it seemed that sexual intimacy was much more normalised among Cybertronians, it was personal preference too.

“So, hows Con activity?” Ratchet asked.

“They keep getting closer and closer, Optimus said that he wants to lure them in in two or three Earth days, Marissa said that the military can give us a few remote controlled birds, which is great because we're not sacrificing human life to those monsters” Jazz replied passionately while Ratchet fixed up his wounds.

“Aid said he'd be back then too to assist Ratchet in Medical, the Protectobots must keep working externally, they are healers and helpers...except Blades but they need his muscle, although Silverbolt has confirmed that the Aerialbots will provide cover fire when they attack and will remain at base until after the meeting, which will happen sometime within the week” Jazz informed.

“So it's soon, better let Wheeljack know, he's working double time while...'carrying'” Ratchet informed.

“I was planning on going there next” Jazz said, as he turned to leave with Marissa.

“See ya Ratchet, have a nice shift” Marissa chirped as Jazz carried her off with him.

 

Wheeljack was working on new calibrations for the defences when Jazz walked in, it was late in the afternoon but Wheeljack was too enamoured with his project to stop and needed to continue.

“Jackie, hey there, we've been unable to talk lately cos of all our assignments recently, sorry to disturb you, but we got business, it's about the Con invasion” Jazz informed, noticing Wheeljack's optics snap back to him as he talked.

“Ohhhhh, I was waiting for your input, how are things?” Wheeljack replied, focusing hard on Jazz, frame filled with excitement.

“The Cons keep getting closer and closer, they're definitely planning for an assault within two to three days, Hound will let us know when they do, we got Aerialbots and a few remote controlled human birds for cover, how are the weapons coming along?” Jazz asked, avoiding the question of his status, as the bot looked particularly round and very overdue.

“I'll be done tomorrow I assume, but the day after will be proofing, I'll be ready for anything.... how are you two fairing anyway.... and before you ask I'm good” Wheeljack replied all giddy and ready.

“We're getting along well, I'm learning so much about your kind and hanging with you, it's not much different to other humans... you remember when I showed you my roomie's cat? Well she had her kittens and they're so cute” Marissa said, excited to show Wheeljack the pictures of the tiny blind felines.

“Awwww, they're so cute... tiny, tiny Earth felines... their...eyes you call them? Are closed when they're very young?” Wheeljack said, as he made faces at the photos.

“My friend can't keep them all so when they're old enough, we'll have to find new homes for them, yes, many Earth animals are born with their eyes closed and yes, the word is eyes” Marissa said excitedly.

“Anyway, as cute as Earth felines are we need to get back to the mission, what I want to know, is if your Immobiliser is ready and armed for TC, he's our main target” Jazz replied strictly.

Wheeljack caught on and replied strictly too, “Of course Jazz, it'll deliver quite a shock, hopefully this will not be for naught!.”

“I hope so too, anyway, I gotta report to OP...will you be able to use it in your condition?” Jazz had to ask.

“You know it, these bastards won't slow me down” Wheeljack responded, rubbing at his inflated mid.

“Good to see Jackie... but before we go, is Ratchet ok?” Jazz smiled and asked concerned.

“I don't even know, he's been weird since we... we... bonded our sparks, think the brood influenced him...” Wheeljack responded sullenly.

“I see, well, I guess it's an issue between you two and I shouldn't get involved, I'll be seeing you, good luck, I know you'll get everything done, Jazz out.” Jazz finally left.

Wheeljack knew something was wrong with his bond, but right now he had work to do and he knew that Ratchet would tell him when he was ready, still, he was worried about the state of his spark, the massive interference and pulses worried him.

Wheeljack was unaware of how late it had become, time running by as he worked on updating systems and building prototypes, replacing the rocket in his wrist he gave to the humans, it fit well and would be useful on Cons, causing massive damage. It was now extremely late and he decided to call it a day and return to his berth.

Once Wheeljack had returned, he spied his bond rubbing at his spark, humming an old Cybertron tune, it was rather unusual for Ratchet to hum, he did so when he was cheery, but right now...it was questionable.

“Hey Ratch, how was your day? Spark alright?” Wheeljack asked concerned.

“Had a productive day, mixed up new medicines, cleaned the bay, you know, the usual stuff... my spark is fine, I've just been a little... preoccupied you can say, we're all preparing for this Con attack, I just hope my optics didn't lie to me” He replied cheerily, he was in a good mood, which confused Wheeljack even more.

“Yeah... I've done most of my part and the defences are better than ever, I just hope TC can talk” Wheeljack replied smiling.

“Yeah, when this war ends... everything will be better and we can finally live in peace... and get busy with our family” Ratchet said smiling as he reached towards Wheeljack's interface equipment.

“Oh, is this that all you want Ratch?” Wheeljack replied smiling back, panic melting away.

“It might be... I want you tonight Jackie” Ratchet said as he began to kiss at Wheeljack's bulge, working his way to to his lips.

“You want to take me tonight Ratchet?” Wheeljack asked, feeling a sensation in his spark.

“Please Jackie...” Ratchet moaned.

“Of course, nice change of pace” Wheeljack replied with a giggle as he took his place on top of his bond and responded by opening his valve panel and mewling with want.

“Ya gonna make noise for me aren't ya Ratch? The whole base will know I've filled ya this time again huh?” Wheeljack revved as he prepared himself for entrance.

“I don't care, please Jackie, tonight we need you” Ratchet moaned, causing Wheeljack to perk himself up, then shake it away. Ratchet was just a little unhinged and didn't make sense lately but Wheeljack chalked it up to the bonding they had and ignored his statement.

“I need you too Ratch... but I'm... It's a bit hard-”

“Just, frag me Wheeljack... please I need you” Ratchet whimpered, reaching up to plant a deep passionate kiss on his bond's unsuspecting lips, “I need you please, Wheeljack, please” Ratchet moaned.

Wheeljack felt himself become overtaken, returning the passionate pecks and sticking his long glossa down his intake and rocking over his bond, attempting to arouse him as he mewled for more.

“Your're a slaggin tease Jackie, just frag me already” Ratchet moaned, causing Wheeljack's spike to pressurise and hit his closed panel.

“Why should I Ratch? Aren't I spose to be the one receiving? I am the one who's 'carrying'” Wheeljack teased, he hated describing this as a carry, but it was the only word for it.

“I... Ugh, I need you right nooow, please, pleaase” Ratchet hissed, he almost let slip his discovery, his processor crazed and his valve dripping with want.

“I guess I can give it to you?” Wheeljack said, opening his panel as he felt and heard his spike hit the bottom of his protruding mid, he tried angling himself best he could to enter Ratchet.

“Please, I need you” Ratchet mewled and at that Wheeljack attempted to align himself and slowly entered Ratchet's valve, after a few misses of course, but neither bot was worried about that.

Wheeljack carefully thrust into Ratchet, both bots were painfully aware of Wheeljack's grotesque mid but neither cared, in fact, Ratchet enjoyed the added bulk as he teased at his large size.

“Harder Jackie, I don't care if you're stuffed, frag me” Ratchet demanded as he rode into Wheeljack's thrusts.

“Ratch, calm down” Wheeljack said.

Ratchet got Wheeljack to stop, then rolled his frame over and began to ride it, sirens beginning to light up as he took his place on top, beginning to reach his climax as lights flashed from his sirens, they were going to go off soon.

Wheeljack allowed Ratchet to ride ontop of him, attempting to mentally block out the motion in his mid from the brood and focus on Ratchet who moaned so loudly, beautifully and sweetly while riding him, being consumed by his own high. Wheeljack felt an excess of transfluid leak onto his spike from Ratchet's soaked valve.

The two bots fell into a nice rhythm as Ratchet continued to ride ontop of Wheeljack. Eventually Ratchet's sirens rang loudly as he screamed with his overload, oozing all over Wheeljack's own spike and purring in response, his sirens only went off for a short amount of time, but still enough to alert the nearby Bots of their activities, none of which cared for others to know of their private life.

“Mmmm, Thanks Jackie” Ratchet replied, closing his covering to keep in any fluids as he removed himself.

'We got big days ahead of us, let's try to stay calm” Wheeljack said reassuring as he got up to have a quick cleanse, Ratchet was to be done after.

“Ye....YEAH, I'll be prepared too” Ratchet replied, still wearing his beautiful grin as he faced Wheeljack.

“I know gorgeous, let's get some recharge” Wheeljack replied and fell into a deep recharge.

The next few days were spent in preparation for an attack, each making sure to accomplish what was said, until one day, on Wheeljack's thirty-ninth day of carriage, just after his photography, a frantic Hound bellowed though the halls.

“DECEPTICONS IMMINENT, TIME IS NOW EVERYBOT” He yelled loudly enough for all to respond and prepare to fend off their base and capture Thundercracker.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh no, attacks.


	24. Chapter 24

**Around an hour before Hound notified of the incoming Decepticon attack**

Ratchet had been busy preparing the Med Bay for the potential influx of patients. Most of what First Aid and himself would be doing was more of the 'combat' part of their 'combat medic' status. First Aid agreed that if anybody suffered a major wound, he'd be the one to fall back to fix them up.

First Aid had returned early in the morning just as Ratchet began his shift, the two worked in complete silence for around half an hour before First Aid decided to ask questions as he observed Ratchet's strange behaviours lately.

“I've been noticing that you seem to be clutching or rubbing at your spark today, is everything ok?” First Aid asked watching Ratchet nearly jump up at the question.

“Ye...yeah, just feed back from Wheeljack ya' know, we bonded and I think my frame is reacting to it” Ratchet replied.

“Hmmm, it should have cleared by now, and you've never shown this behaviour before with Wheeljack's current carry” First Aid pried, causing Ratchet to shake slightly as he attempted to seem stoic.

“I guess the carry has a little more effect than we expected” Ratchet replied, his spark began to ache as the sparkling tried to wrestle with his own again, he vented as calmly as he could, it seemed it liked to fight.

“Ratchet... I noticed that your bolt files aren't in the main computer, if something has gone wrong-”

“Aid... please don't” Ratchet begged.

“Ratchet...did you bond with an expired bolt” First Aid asked, he had checked the records that were present in the computer, logging his last check, he'd been observing Ratchet for the past few days and noticed that he had been using the spark monitors, and also scratching and rubbing at his chassis and put together the symptoms he was showing, at that Ratchet's façade broke.

“It was an accident but please...don't take it away from me... my sparkling... our sparkling..” Ratchet replied woefully, gritting denta.

“I won't... I know how much you want this... if anybody asks, I don't know a slagging thing... does Wheeljack know?” First Aid replied, smiling underneath his facemask and visor.

“Not yet... I just haven't found the right time or the right way yet... especially with the brood...” Ratchet replied, smiling with relief at First Aid's reply.

“I see, you should tell him sooner than later... can I see it? I've not seen a sparkling since before the war” First Aid asked excitedly.

Ratchet smiled and opened his chamber slowly, he felt a little awkward to be bearing his spark in front of someone who was not Wheeljack, it had been such a long time since he'd done that. At the sight of the tiny glowing ball of light that was zapping at Ratchet's own, First Aid let out a loud squeal, but had to silence himself.

“OH, it's so cute... what's it doing? It's so small!” First Aid cooed at it and reached his digit toward it, causing it to send a zap outwards.

“YEOWCH” First Aid exclaimed, placing the digit into his now exposed mouth.

“It's a feisty little thing, likes to fight, keeps trying to wrestle my own spark... it hurts... it better grow out of it or I'll have some choice words... doesn't get it from me” Ratchet exclaimed, quickly closing his panels and folding his arms over them, derma a faint shade of violet.

“I'll know not to go poking at it next time, it hurts, gonna be a real pain for the two of you when it's out” First Aid replied, his digit still ached.

“It's gonna be a pain to carry if it keeps this up, ugh, this war better end or I'm just gonna defect at this point” Ratchet replied snappily.

“Well, secrets safe with me Ratch” First Aid replied happily, making Ratchet smile and sigh with relief.

Just as Ratchet was about to speak, the alarms sounded. The Cons were attacking, it was time, he just hoped that things worked out, that Wheeljack could hit Thundercracker with his Immobiliser... and that this little guy would stop zapping at his spark.

 

Wheeljack was on his pedes the moment Hound had sounded the alarm, he tottered over to grab his immobiliser, luckily for him he did not have to bend down for it.

“Are you sure you'll be fine? You're venting pretty deep, the weight and size of those things is really starting to affect you... you can hardly stand without holding onto something, they're the size of two large sparklings... Wheeljack” Perceptor asked frantically watching the bot struggle to waddle to where he needed to be.

“I'll be right, this has to be done... I'm just mad I can't be up front like I usually am...” Wheeljack replied angrily, grabbing a few bombs and explosives just in case.

“You gotta stay hidden Jackie” Perceptor said.

“Yeah, I know, but I gotta splode some stuff, ain't done it in far too long” Wheeljack responded with a glint in his optic.

“You're scary when you do that Jackie” Perceptor responded.

“Good, the Cons better be scared.” Wheeljack would have been much more intimidating if his frame wasn't so comically round, he hoped his bombs would be enough. His absence from the front line would missed by the Autobots and possibly cause the Cons suspicion, although, he could use that to his advantage. 

 

Ratchet rushed out to a position that would allow him to access any of the lines on his side, First Aid took the other side of the base. They were hoping to lure in the Decepticons and separate Thundercracker. Silverbolt had received the order himself and was to push him towards Wheeljack, who would be waiting for him.

“I've located Thundercracker, Skywarp is also around but he's occupied, Starscream... none of us have seen Starscream, I don't think he's part of this” Silverbolt affirmed, Ratchet was puzzled by this information, Starscream was Megatron's second in command and leader of the seekers, sure he wasn't always trustworthy, but he always attended a fight and commanded the seekers with such fineness that it impressed even Optimus Prime. Starscream had been a large factor in previous Con winning skirmishes, it was unusual and foolish for him to not been at this fight.

The sparkling decided it wanted to attack Ratchet's spark, causing immense pain. He tried to pat and stroke at his chassis to calm it, but it refused to be still, Ratchet told it to sit still, but it seemed it wanted in on the fun, much to Ratchet's dismay.

“Smash....want to..... crush” Ratchet felt words enter his spark, he shot back for it to quiet for the remainder then it would be allowed to irritate him as much as it desired.

“Me...I'm... king” It declared.

“FINE, just stop” Ratchet whispered, it began to calm, he had no idea how it knew these words, maybe it had been subconsciously paying attention to what he was reading and watching, he was surprised at it being so aware so quickly... could it because of how desperately he wanted to be sparked?.

He looked around to check if anyone had seen him talking to himself, nobody luckily, they were too busy preparing to engage. Optimus was right at the front, he would take Megatron head on. Megatron only saw Optimus as worthy to be his opponent as his vengeance filled wrath took hold at the mere shimmer of the blue and red that coloured their leader. Fortunately for the rest of the team, he hardly paid them any mind.

“I'm attempting to single out Thundercracker, make sure Wheeljack is in position, the rest of the Aerialbots are putting pressure on the other flyers and keeping it hot to prevent any others from entering, without Starscream's command... they're essentially useless... why bother attacking without him?” Silverbolt informed.

“Hear that Jackie? Get ready... please be careful” Ratchet said.

“I'm... almost there....” Wheeljack heaved over comms.

“Make sure.... scrap... he's slipped into the base and transformed, be careful, I'm too big to fit into this crevice... Jackie, change course to the cavern section, you know it's just a few clicks off, I'll hang here to stop him from getting out, he can't use his rockets or sonic boom in the small space, his rockets will hit him if he does, hope your updates included range Jackie...” Silverbolt replied.

“Wheeljack... please be careful...for us” Ratchet said over their personal comm.

Ratchet received a call to pick up an injured Sideswipe, he transformed and rushed towards him to pull him into cover and patch him up.

 

Wheeljack was leaning on the wall towards the position where Thundercracker was trapped, he tried to keep his venting low, but his frame felt as if it was cooking when he did so he was forced to heave, 'This is far too much pedework for my...ugh size' Wheeljack complained. 

There were heavy steps as he could hear Thundercracker walking towards him, Wheeljack was hidden as best he could, hoping his paunch would not be seen by the bot, he waited for him to get close enough for the immobiliser...but then Thundercracker started to talk.

“Sky...I'm in the base, but I might not have an exit... I hope you can scrounge up enough energon for the two of you... have you got Screamy out? I don't know how much longer the other cons will hold out...” Thundercracker sounded frantic... what could possibly be happening?

Thundercracker was almost in range, but he stopped suddenly, Wheeljack winced as he felt movement in his abdomen, the brood were getting restless, pushing his tight plating out as round orbs could visibly be seen beneath, he began to retch. 'Primus... stay in my tank... please stay in my tank' Wheeljack covered his mouth and tried not to look at it.

“He's out? Are you far enough away? Where you could hide... I don't know... I heard noises up ahead... think I'm pinned... heh, I might never get to see them but if they're safe... that's what matters... and Megs? He's gonna be pissed we took his toy away, but he's safe now...TC out.” Thundercracker turned off his comms, took a deep inhale and walked calmly towards Wheeljack.

“I know you're there... if you want to shoot me....shoot me... I'm pinned...” Thundercracker put his servos up and stopped.

“Wha.... blargh......What's gotcha thinkin....ugh.....ya' ain't gonna shoot me?” Wheeljack said, keeping his position.

“Of all the bots... it's you... I've seen what you can do Wheeljack... or rather there's hardly anything left when you do... just make it quick” Thundercracker winced.

“I don't wanna hurt you... I just want to talk, I'm sick of this war... I'm sure everyone is, rumour has it you care about this planet...is that true?” Wheeljack's nausea was fading, he was tempted to step out, perhaps his frame would shock him enough.

“Yeah... It's nice... I joined the Cons because I thought it was right, cos I thought we'd be advocating for real change... but Megatron was using the cause to gain undeserved power, his empty words tricking us all into thinking he was the better leader....it's just more death and destruction... we've taken our war here, to this planet who didn't ask for any of this, enough is enough... please don't let innocent creatures die because of our inability to coexist...” Thundercracker sounded truly upset, this was not the talk of deception, Wheeljack could understand that.

“I believe you... let's talk peace... once your friends leave, we can start” Wheeljack decided to show himself, he totted out awkwardly his large form shocked Thundercracker.

“The mad scientist himself... the explosives expert... so you do have a face under that plate, that's a nasty scar.... but....no, last time I saw you.... you almost blew my wings clean off and that was only three months ago.... no way you were sparked... what the pits is going on?” Thundercracker was confused.

“Yep, this is my face and I ummm... decided to try a new toy I was workin on and I ended up peaking into a planet and got myself knocked up with the eggs of a critically endangered tentacle monster... that I'm going to be giving birth too in around eleven days...not my proudest moment...” Wheeljack informed, hoping the honestly would cut a hole through his defences. Thundercracker nodded in response, he was intrigued and his frame relaxed slightly.

“I see, what a strange turn of events, well it's good for the ecosystem? So ummm, you gonna cuff me?” Thundercracker held out his servos.

“I was originally gonna knock you out with my immobiliser but, since you're complying, I guess the cuffs will do...you accepted that story pretty quick” Wheeljack replied.

“This is.... a lot less drama than I expected if I was to get caught and with what we've been having to deal with, who's surprised by the weirdness of the universe...” Thundercracker replied with a nervous laugh.

“Well, I better inform the others and see how the defence is, you were actually our priority in this plan, I’ll admit” Wheeljack replied, turning on his comm.

“I feel honoured?” Thundercracker said tensely.

“This is Wheeljack, TC has been apprehended, he chose to surrender, you can drive off the other forces now” Wheeljack informed.

“Aye, I'll chase off those Seekers, without TC, they'll retreat immediately, the human's remote controlled birds pack quite a wallop too and because they are able to fly up close, it's working great to keep them at bay, I'll definitely ask for them alongside us in future, this deal will be sweet” Silverbolt informed gleefully.

“Jazz here, Marissa is safe still, hidden in a tiny room, I'm about to push forward to eject them out of here, battle will be over soon, the defences are shredding them, causing them to keep their distance.” Jazz sounded happy.

“Good work Jackie... there's been a few wounded but nothing major on my side, First Aid on the other hand had to rush Ironhide off, took heavy fire to protect Bee, hurt him severely but it would have done much, much worse to Bee...” Ratchet informed.

“Alright, what do I do? I got some big splosives to let off if ya' need em'” Wheeljack informed, smile on his derma, Thundercracker winced.

“Just get TC to a holding cell for now Wheeljack, OP is keeping Megs away from the base, the grunts and seekers are retreating, soon Megatron will be forced to as well, he can't take us all on” Jazz updated.

“Confirmed, dragging him there now.” Wheeljack grabbed Thundercracker and carefully lead him through the halls, Wheeljack had to take it easy, luckily Thundercracker understood the poor bot's predicament.

“Are you sure you should be doing all this walking around? I mean, a sleek little bot like you carrying a load like that? Isn't it... dangerous?” Thundercracker asked.

“Everyone keeps callin' me little, I ain't that small, I'm a bit bigger than average sized for a speeder... I'm past capacity... but I got slag to do...” Wheeljack replied, waddling as fast as his overfilled frame could go.

“Just... trying to keep conversation... you're different than I thought you'd be” Thundercracker replied.

“Oh? Different how?” Wheeljack asked.

“I thought you'd be... a little more unhinged” Thundercracker answered.

“I'm told I am quite, especially in the lab, but why?” Wheeljack asked.

“Just... rumours ya know? Also, on the field...” Thundercracker went silent.

“I can see why you'd think that... I get a little carried away ... are there other Cons like you?” Wheeljack asked, attempting to shift the subject.

“Most of us want out, Megatron... he captured our sparks with talks of change, how we'd get our fair share, but he was simply another tyrant hidden behind kind words...what he did to...” Thundercracker stopped.

“Optimus Prime... is he kind? Megatron said that he had forced the matrix to bond with him, that if he had been the one to pick it up, there would be peace... but I disagree.” Thundercracker continued.

“Prime's a good, caring leader... but he's never sure what path to take, he does his best but second guesses every step... we have faith in him, so he must be doing something right” Wheeljack replied, feeling the brood begin to stir within him.

“I see... we can stop if you need to.” Thundercracker seemed pretty quick to trust his enemy, but at this point perhaps he hadn't a choice.

“I've got a question, you guys would have had an actual chance to overrun us, but Starscream wasn't there, effectively making the seekers, more than half of Megatron's forces, void in battle” Wheeljack asked, ignoring Thundercrackers suggestion and pressing forward, holding the cuffs with one servo and massaging his swollen mid with the other as he patted at the circles that made themselves visible. 

Thundercracker said nothing, which annoyed Wheeljack, “Answer me...” Wheeljack pushed, his tone causing Thundercracker to jump.

Thundercracker vented and spoke, “He's Megatron's... little play thing, but Skyfire just made off with him, this push was to gather energon and I used it as a diversion for Skyfire to get him out, Starscream's frame has begun to cannibalise itself...” Thundercracker remarked.

“So he's? If they're Megatrons...” Wheeljack felt disgusted and even pity for him, even if it was Starscream... the bot certainly didn't deserve it... 

“No...but Megatron can't find out or he'll kill Skyfire and their twins will be...if he gets the energon for the bridge...I can't... Starscream will be even worse off... alive as a breeder... he isn't my friend, but he's the closest thing I've had to a comrade and I wouldn't feel good just letting him suffer, so I at least owe him that...”

“Twins....I understand.... I thought Megatron despised him? Why would he want to...?” Wheeljack questioned, he felt a tinge of rage and concern.

“Oh, he does, so his treatment makes perfect sense... he's not the Screamy you know... not anymore...” Thundercracker replied, he looked down.

“After this, get in contact with Skyfire... I'm sure Optimus will allow them to stay here... Skyfire will be hunted down relentlessly by Megatrons forces...his expertise may also be needed, he can no longer hang on the sidelines either, he has to make a choice” Wheeljack said seriously, Thundercracker nodded in agreement, he couldn't bear to remember the horrible plans that Megatron had, his processor began to ache and he began to feel dizzy and Shockwave's visage appeared in his helm as he desperately tried to get it out... he can't be allowed to gather the energon to bring him here.

 

Constantly changing forms was tiring work, but it was something that combat medics needed to be able to do quickly and efficiently. The training forced them to be able to shift from root and back in almost an instant. Ratchet was one of the quickest and it made him one of the fastest responses. He had taken a few pot shots himself while rushing to help others, nothing too drastic but the shot in his arm would be a problem if it's temporary patch came undone under heavy fire. 

Ratchet watched as most of the Decepticons began to retreat, he was thankful, the shot in his arm began to come open as they did. The only Con left was Megatron who didn't seem to care that they had captured one of his scientists. Even Soundwave had packed up his minicons after Ravage took a bite out of Ratchet and ended up with a nasty cut that put them out of commission, that's what they got for messing with a medic who had memorised every weak point and had the precision to strike at said points with deadly accuracy.

Optimus had taken multiple blows and was bleeding profusely, the rest of the Autobots fought to keep Soundwave away, who was frantically trying to get his master to leave, but he was far too consumed in the battle with his nemesis to leave. 

Ratchet stayed ready, Optimus rarely let anybody intervene with their brawls and the amount of times Ratchet had saved Optimus from certain death afterwards was innumerable. Ratchet often wondered how Megatron got up after most hits. Optimus fought passively, striking when right to conserve energy, he was not as battle hardened as Megatron, so he used tactics to his advantage.

“Thundercracker is in the cell, but after this... we'll need to contact Skyfire” Wheeljack said through Ratchet's comm.

“Skyfire? TC can contact him? Good...” Ratchet responded quietly, keeping his optics trained on Optimus, analysing his damage and calculating his own response times and what wounds to patch up first.

“Skyfire will have no choice but to come... Starscream's frame is cannibalising itself and it's reached a point where he needs medical attention, he's carrying twins...Skyfires, but Megs can't find out” Thundercracker said over Wheeljack's personal comms.

“He's dangerous... even if he's sparked...” Ratchet replied, he was shocked to find that information, but he was weary of the bot overall.

“Trust me, he's docile as ever now, you'll understand when you meet him...they're coming tomorrow, I'll tell them that” Thundercracker said.

“Understood...but I'll deal with this later, right now...Optimus is a priority” Ratchet charged towards Optimus, who had fallen, Megatron fell also and Soundwave charged in his alt, connecting to the tyrant, towing him away.

Ratchet had to plug multiple wounds on the spot, then drag him off to medbay as fast as he could. Optimus was losing energon fast, but Ratchet was faster at stopping it as he pulled his frame to the bay, First Aid joined him as Ironhide was resting. First Aid worked quickly and Ratchet worked quicker as both bots worked in perfect unison completely silent. Ratchet had forgotten about his own injuries while working on his friend. Megatron always shredded Optimus with painful wounds, making sure to prologue his death... but Ratchet wouldn't let the Allspark have him, not while his own spark still pulsed.

It took around half an hour to weld all Optimus's serious wounds closed, the combined effort the two medics gave was unmatched in skill and efficiency. It soon occurred that Ratchet's own hastily welded wound had opened up completely now on his left arm as it leaked profusely, it needed to be sealed, he was sparked so energon loss at this rate would hurt his frame, endangering the life within. Ratchet hastily stopped the bleeding and made sure it was properly sealed this time, luckily he got it before he needed any transfusion, although he felt a little light headed and his arm ached when he moved it.

“Worse than you thought it was huh Ratch? Need a boost?” First Aid offered.

“I'll be fine... I got a seeker to chat with, watch over Optimus for me, don't let him walk, it's a harder job than you think... strap him down if you need to...also, we'll have a few guests tomorrow...” Ratchet said as he hastily left to go check on his love.

 

Wheeljack was glad to see his bond until he looked at the large bot, he was covered in scrapes and energon, some his own some from others, but the large gash on his left arm worried him. Wheeljack tottered towards him wrapping his servos around him and pressing his helm against his spark.

“You got hurt? Ratchet are you ok?” Wheeljack asked frantically.

“Sparks still pulsing isn't it? I'm glad you're ok too... even better though, this plan worked” Ratchet kissed Wheeljack's forehelm, leaning down to nuzzle at him.

Thundercracker stared in awe, he hadn't seen this side of either of these bots. The Cons would whisper about Wheeljack's twisted volatile experiments, his lethality on the front and deadly weapons and Ratchet's precision, his efficiency in healing, awful demeanour and strikes that never missed major lines. Both bots were always to be watched on the field, but here they were embracing and loving towards each other. Ratchet turned his helm towards Thundercracker, who quivered at Ratchet's stare.

“You said Scream's docile? That bot doesn't know what it means to bend, I don't believe you” Ratchet stared directly into the blue seekers terrified eyes.

“If you even knew what kind of slag Megs has been doing to that bot... and every time he betrayed him he did it more and more... well, he's sparked with twins, Megs thinks they're his...” Thundercracker said.

“What? I thought you Cons kept your bolts up too?” Ratchet asked.

“Well... Megatron thought that he needed some way of keeping Screamy in line after he betrayed him so many times, the beatings and the.... forced interfacing weren't enough, so he tried for merging, that also didn't work, so he had his bolt removed and everytime he tried to rebel, he would merge, the fear of being sparked hopefully keeping him in line... I guess Skyfire sparked him before Megs... or we hope” Thundercracker recited, hardly any emotion to his vocals.

“Primus...I'll treat him...” Ratchet said, touching a servo to his own spark and stroking, the sparkling within surprisingly calm for what was happening. Ratchet noticed Thundercracker take note of his gesture and Ratchet responded by slowly pulling his servo away.

“I thought ya' said they weren't Megatron's?” Wheeljack asked angrily.

“I never thought you'd listen if I said they were...please... do it for Skyfire” Thundercracker begged as Wheeljack's dermal plating furrowed.

“Wheeljack... even if they are... they're innocent... Starscream will be safe with us, you are welcome to stay too, anything that gets us closer to ending the war... it's worth the risk” Ratchet had put a servo on Wheeljacks shoulder and looked down, Ratchet needed this war to end... or at least cease for their precious little spark.

“Ratchet...I know... but Megatron doesn't deserve to have...” Wheeljack said sadly, as he clutched at his empty chamber, Ratchet rubbed at the speeder's backstrut to soothe him while they walked.

“This is the way forward, TC... Can I call you that? I'll have to leave you in here for the night as the others might not trust you, but I will leave you some good energon in the meantime. Optimus Prime will be out till tomorrow, but I assure you, Starscream is welcome here... as long as he's under Skyfire's wings” Ratchet reassured.

“Yeah... you call me TC, I understand and thank you for your hospitality...but as I said, Screamy ain't really Screamy no more...” Thundercracker informed and sat down, he appeared to be contemplating.

Ratchet contacted Jazz to let him know about the plan and to pass it around the base, Jazz agreed with Ratchet's decisions, he was weary, but understood. In the meantime with Optimus out, Jazz was in charge.

 

“Even though Starscream will be docile or might be... I don't like it, but I do trust Skyfire...” Wheeljack said in a huff once they curled up together in their berth.

“You worry too much sometimes Jackie... everything will be fine and what's he gonna do? He's carrying twins... Skyfire's twins... he's not gonna be able to move much... you ok?” Ratchet replied.

“He'll try... but it does explain why we haven't seen him for months...I'll be ok” Wheeljack said, he rubbed at the brood... if it was Ratchet's twins... he pushed away the thought.

“it does- ohh oooo oww mmph” Ratchet rubbed at his spark and hissed with pain.

“Ratchet... for the love of Primus, what the frag is wrong with your spark? SHOW ME!” Wheeljack demanded, reaching for the panel, rubbing at it.

“Ugh... I'm... this isn't the right time” Ratchet replied.

“The right time for what? To tell me you have spark issues? Ratchet there's no such thing as a right time, tell me what the frag is happening right now, no more dancing around the issue, it's been almost ten days since we melded, you've been really weird and emotional and I'm ten and a bit days off being due and stressed about it, I don't gotta be stressin bout you too so just tell me!...please...” Wheeljack was frantic.

“I'm... I was late with changing my bolt, I wasn't protected when we melded those times....I'm....I'm...I'll just show you” Ratchet opened his chamber up to reveal the tiny spark of light that circulated his own, at the sight of it Wheeljack's optics filled with liquid and his servos covered his mouth.

“ Ratchet... all this time... those pulses... you were carrying... Primus....I'm a sire” Wheeljack was filled with joy as he allowed his optics to water, reaching carefully towards the little ball, leaving a digit in as it reacted to it, sending light happy zaps at his digit. 

“Hey there... it's ya' sire... we're finally meeting- OUCH” Wheeljack pulled his digit out.

“It did that to First Aid too...it's a grumpy one” Ratchet said.

“First Aid saw them before me? Oh c'mon Ratchet...jerk” Wheeljack replied jokingly with his digit in his mouth.

“Well you can't talk, someone else's offspring resides in you before mine” Ratchet poked at his swollen abdomen.

“Oh low blow Ratchet... I hope the sparkling takes after your carrier and sire” Wheeljack laughed.

“She was a huge tank though...my sire was an armoured truck...both much bigger than I am” Ratchet replied.

“Exactly!” Wheeljack poked at Ratchet's mid, “I hope you get big” Wheeljack continued, as he rubbed and poked at Ratchet's mid, tickling him in return, watching his derma light up violet.

“I hope it's takes after you and I barely look it... wasn't your carrier a speedster and sire a flyer?” Ratchet asked between laughs.

“Yes... he said I got my wings from my sire, she said they were useless for flying, but at least they were stylish” Wheeljack recited.

“They really are stylish... do you think they'll have them?” Ratchet asked.

“Who knows at this point, we got a higher chance than usual of having a femme too, since both your sire and carrier were femmes, my carrier was a mech and sire a femme...” Wheeljack said after he stopped tickling him, resting his helm on Ratchet's chassis watching the small ball excitedly nip at Ratchet's spark.

“Yeah... but I'm not sure if they're gonna be a femme... this one feels... I just feel it's gonna be a mech” Ratchet replied.

“I hope we have at least one femme... they're so rare though...” Wheeljack said.

“I hope you have one Jackie... but that won't be till this one is at least half a year to a year old” Ratchet said, beginning to feel tired.

“We gotta carry at the same time next time...” Wheeljack said.

“We are right now...” Ratchet jested, Wheeljack was not amused but smiled.

“You really are a Hatchet...” Wheeljack said and poked his glossa out at Ratchet.

“Yeah... but you love it” Ratchet replied by poking his own out and smiling.

“True... still hope it's a tank” Wheeljack giggled as he teasingly patted Ratchet's mid with his servo.

“Urghh... well we better get recharged huh...see you in the morning” Ratchet replied, shuddering at carrying a tank.

“See ya'... love you so much... and you too little one, can't wait to meet you... even if you just zapped my digit I love you already....” Wheeljack kissed Ratchet's chassis after the panels closed and fell quickly into recharge listening to the pulses from Ratchet's spark and their sparkling's pulse, for the first time in so long...he felt blessed... Ratchet was sparked with his sparkling... at least one of them was carrying... he was finally a sire.


	25. Chapter 25

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning for abuse mentions, injuries and rape indication. Please let Cat know in comments to add anything more.

Ratchet felt a terrible pain in his spark causing him to jolt up, the sparkling wanted to play it seemed, Ratchet was in no mood for it's games, he had no choice but to get up now. Wheeljack too was woken by his sudden movement and let out a pained groan, the poor bot felt ill.

“Why ya' doing this Ratchet...” Wheeljack moaned groggily.

“It's the sparkling... attacked my spark again... if it does this for the entire time I'm gonna put myself into stasis lock” Ratchet complained, Wheeljack giggled at that.

“Frame build wont start for another month or so right?” Wheeljack questioned.

“Might be shorter than that... I think it's been ten days... spark must have been in heat when we merged the first time because I think it instantly clicked” Ratchet replied, rubbing at his chamber.

“Frag... well at least the transference from these things hasn't been affecting you as much lately since you fixed the bolts and the insanity caused by the merge has worn off... but that doesn't matter because you're sparked anyway now... it seems like this one will be quite difficult to hide because of it's temperament...” Wheeljack informed.

“You don't think I know that? It also might be a big one and that will make it even more impossible...” Ratchet replied, knowing his luck it would take after his carrier or sire.

“So you're not ruling that out? Ha, it'll be your turn and then I can laugh at you when you're struggling to walk, Oh you'll look so good large and round carrying MY sparkling” Wheeljack giggled, it was payback time.

“Shush you... we'll see and I'll deal with it later down the track... have you been widening yourself for passage” Ratchet changed the subject.

“Percy mentioned it... I really don't like the way it sounds... but you know I'm trying to stay as active as I can... it's just difficult with these scrappers” Wheeljack whined.

“You know, light exercises, the stuff you already do, don't forget rolling those hips around...I'll be doing the same thing later on” Ratchet said as he checked his datapad, First Aid requested him to come into the Medbay in an hour as they were expecting Skyfire and Starscream.

“Yeah...my hips have widened themselves though... yours are naturally like that... sucks my frame had to change so much for these...imposters” Wheeljack was sitting up and looked down at himself, mapping every inch of his frame.

“I'm gonna look a bit different too Jackie... and you look fine, I bet you're gonna be just as sleek as you were before it” Ratchet said smiling.

“But... it won't be to the extent of mine...and you're carrying an actual sparkling... I'm...” Wheeljack curled up.

“Jackie...I'm gonna change too... our sparkling will... I'm going to love you no matter what you choose...” Ratchet assured.

“I know but... that's not the point.... I want to be happy with the way I look, I want my frame to look the way I want it to... not the way these things want it to look...” Wheeljack continued.

“I understand... if you want to get patch ups, Aid and I can do that for you... but there's no use between now and our next sparkling, you know that Wheeljack” Ratchet said.

“I know... we'll see...” Wheeljack replied moodily.

“We'll see..., Jackie you're coming with me to Med, we gotta see TC first then meet up with First Aid” Ratchet said, helping Wheeljack to his pedes.

Perceptor had come in shortly after Wheeljack was standing, Wheeljack would be thankful he could finally stop having to deal with this on a daily basis after birthing the brood. The constant handling of his frame in the way he did made him feel like he was just another experiment, it wasn't Perceptor's fault, but it still irked him.

“How was that fight yesterday? I'm glad nobody got too injured, I'm surprised nobody had to see Aid or yourself after it” Perceptor said happily to Ratchet.

“Yeah, most were just quick patch jobs, only Hide and Prime had to be taken to med for treatment, but they're the usual suspects” Ratchet jested.

“You seem to be in quite the chipper mood.. .it's kinda creepy, but I'll accept it, I got the news from Jazz yesterday too, OH and great job Jackie, TC in custody while about to burst, you really are something” Perceptor said.

“Yeah, hurry up and take pictures, we got slag to do Percy... and it won't be long till they're out now” Whealjack reassured.

“Fine, fine, day forty, so exciting... you're so damn big now... it's a little scary, It looks like you're about to explode...” Perceptor said mournfully.

“Let's just hope this experiment isn't one that's gonna explode...” Wheeljack said anxiously, while Perceptor rubbed at his mid and took the photots.

“All done...ten more days...I received word that the Committee wants me to chronicle their birth too” Perceptor informed.

“Primus... so you'll be there watching me too... ya' know what? I don't even care anymore... after all the slag I've had happen, I've been humiliated enough already, how's this gonna be any different?” Wheeljack said, fed up already.

“I'm....I'm sorry.” Perceptor looked at the ground.

“Ain't yer fault Percy... yer just doing what's told...I ain't ever gonna have to deal with these things ever again at least... next time I'm round... it's gonna be Ratchet's fault” Wheeljack smiled at Ratchet who stood awkwardly and then turned to Perceptor who returned his own smile and thanked him before leaving to do...whatever Perceptor did in his spare time.

After rounding up Thundercracker, Ratchet and Wheeljack met up with First Aid and a now awake, but strapped to the medical berth Optimus, all in the 'Med' waiting for Skyfire. Optimus sat up, but his legs were restrained to prevent him from getting up and reopening wounds.

“I told you the straps would be necessary” Ratchet teased, Optimus looked at Ratchet in annoyance.

“Surely this isn't” Optimus informed.

“No, no it's absolutely necessary, because you said that three times last night and I believed you those three times like a glitchhead and you've re-snapped your leg strut trying to walk, so you boss, are staying in that berth WITH the straps” First Aid said, with a slight tinge of annoyance to his usual cheery voice, Ratchet laughed in response, his leader would always do this when he was recovering and every time would need to be locked down for his own sake.

“Thundercracker... apologies for my condition, I welcome you into our base, but for safety precautions, I must keep you in lock-up, the rest of the bots aren't yet comfortable with your presence in these walls” Optimus informed and nodded at the blue seeker.

“I totally understand, I'm better off here than back with Megatron and after what I played, I'm pretty much a dead bot... I myself am a scientist, so if you need any of my services, I’ll offer them up for my keep” Thundercracker said, usually he'd be shaking, but for some reason Optimus Prime's voice soothed him, he felt as if he could trust this bot with his life as he stared into his kind eyes, his welcoming face revealed to him for the first time and just from the way he talked alone, no wonder all the Autobots had so much faith in him.

“I'm sure eventually if you can prove that you're on our side, the others may open up to you” First Aid assured, Thundercracker nodded in response.

“How's ol' Hide doin'? He got banged up pretty bad yesterday” Ratchet asked.

“He's over in that room, still in recharge, old bot needs it, good the rocket hit him and not Bee...it would have been so much worse” First Aid said, Ratchet nodded in agreement.

Ratchet had to fight to resist the urge to rub at his chamber, it had been observed by First Aid and Thundercracker may have even caught a glimpse of it. The rubbing was suspicious and he needed to quit it if he wanted to keep the secret longer but the damn thing was so itchy. Ratchet tightly crossed his arms over his chassis instead.

“Is something the matter Ratchet?” Optimus asked, watching Ratchet's expression.

“Nothing... just hate waiting” Ratchet replied, he hoped his co-workers weren't as observant as First Aid, he did a terrible job at trying to hide it.

It wasn't much longer when Jazz lead Skyfire into the Bay with a seeker behind him. The seeker's right leg had been twisted inwards along the knee joint and bent at the leg, it was allowed to heal wrong causing a limp, large pieces of wings had been clipped away to prevent them from flying, their paint was scratched off and they had many, many wounds and brandings inflicted upon them and a cracked codpiece and spark chamber. The bot was very heavy with sparklings... Ratchet had come to realise that this broken barely functioning Mech was actually Starscream.

“Here they are, we had to take it easy” Jazz informed, Marissa clung to his shoulder as usual, observing and jotting things down, too engrossed in the scene to talk.

Starscream latched onto Skyfire in terror, a terror that none of these bots ever saw from him, he shook, denta chattering as he was unable to speak. Ratchet stared at what was suppose to be Starscream, Megatron's second, a powerful seeker, a devious schemer and a great leader, reduced to...whatever it was before him, a miserable mess of twisted metal was how Ratchet would describe the sight.

Skyfire lent down and caressed the smaller flyer, he seemed to be able to calm him down, whispering into his audials something that soothed his fear. He reacted by standing up straighter, pushing his shoulders back and perking up his wings, the seeker still looked away and avoided eye contact, his frame's new stance echoed his old self, but without his confident smirk and demeanour, he was not even a shadow of the Starscream who's presence demanded all optics onto his frame.

“Excuse him, he's been through a lot... can you check up on him... then we'll talk” Skyfire said politely, Starscream shook at the idea of letting people touch him.

“Screamy...boss... we got you out, things are gonna be better” Thundercracker said calmly.

“We will do whatever is in our power to protect you from the clutches of Megatron” Optimus said, hardly able to speak, he knew Megatron was cruel, but not like this.

Wheeljack hid unintentionally behind Ratchet and poked his helm out from behind him.

“Heya Sky, we'll take care of Screamy, he'll be safe here...” Wheeljack retorted from behind his bond.

“Take your place on the berth right here, I'll have to take a look at you, I'll go slow, I know that after what you've endured, it may be uncomfortable, but Ratchet and I will take good care of you...” First Aid said, piecing together what Megatron had done in his mind, attempting to keep his cool.

“Please....Jetfire and Jetstorm... please tell me they're going to be ok” Starscream begged softy, fluids in his eyes.

“How far along are you” Ratchet asked, putting on his nicest voice, the one he used before the war, Jetfire and Jetstorm...he had already named his... it was far too early to name his own.

“Around eight months...give or take... twins... both Megatron and I are large jets...we don't know who's the sire...we don't have the right equipment” Skyfire complained.

“It will be difficult to tell still until the sparks have bonded with their frames, you and Starscream also share similar colours, if they're grey we'll know... but we'll have to wait further if they take after their carrier” Ratchet said.

“Please...please be mine” Skyfire begged softly.

Ratchet handled Starscream very carefully, making sure to lightly touch as he tried to shy away from it, he carefully coaxed the bot into accepting an intravenous drip while First Aid analysed his internals. Starscream would need to be given nanites to aid in his own healing and the twins, there was significant damage to his internals from brutal beatings and cannibalising of his frame by their own. 

Starscream insisted to check on his sparklings frame building, Ratchet handled the machine getting a glimpse of the twins frames. They were healthy and spotted similar shapes to their carrier from what they could see had formed, their colours were not yet fully discernible, they would only be able to tell once the sparks had bonded to them. Ratchet's own spark felt glee seeing them.

“How are their sparks?” First Aid asked, Starscream shook, he didn't want to open his spark chamber to anyone right now, not after having it forced open repeatedly by Megatron.

“You don't have to open it if you're not comfortable...just tell us how they are” Ratchet could see his chamber bulged a fair bit, the two sparklings occupied a large amount of space. Ratchet looked down at his own chassis, it would do the same to accompany a second within, it had just occurred to him that it had grown quite quickly in just ten days, he'd simply hadn't noticed, he began to wonder what it's frame would be.

“They...they talk to me...comfort me... they're scared too...but I won't...Megatron can't have them... no matter what” Starscream said faintly.

“He won't get em Screamy, don't worry” Wheeljack assured.

“I thought I was in it... what the pits happened to you?” Starscream hissed, Wheeljack was glad to see a bit of the Screamer poke through this overly bloated husk of a seeker that laid before them.

“Experiment gone very, very wrong, moral of the story is, don't go opening portals to unknown planets, they may have tentacle monsters who use you as a carrier” Wheeljack joked.

“What kind of idiot scientist opens portals without protection?” Starsceam replied, he himself was one and he wasn't stupid enough to do something like that.

“Wheeljack does it seems” Skyfire joked, causing a smirk to emerge from Starscreams derma and an annoyed look to cross Wheeljack's face.

“I heard that explosion damaged your face, I'm surprised you still have it, the one explosion you didn't cause” Starscream interjected, he began to calm as he felt the relaxed air of the room.

“Yeah...” Wheeljack replied, rubbing the scar on his face, he didn't like to think of that time in his career.

There was a moment of silence between everyone as Ratchet and First Aid worked on Starscream, he seemed to be in deep thought and Wheeljack kept staring at Ratchet's chassis as he thought of all the possible alt modes their own little sparkling could have.

“It's funny...I never wanted to have sparklings of my own, let alone even carry them to ruin my perfect frame... but here I am, unknown sire carrying twins that I can't lose...all because I opposed Megatron...and now working with autobots, what strange circumstances” Starscream mused.

“If only you knew...” First Aid said as his helm turned slightly towards Ratchet, who responded with his signature Hatchet death stare.

“We're going to start fixing your wings, I'll work on them while Aid treats your frame for wounds, you'll spend a few days in recovery, the internal damage is bad and as long as we keep you plugged into these devices you'll be fine” Ratchet informed.

“Skyfire, you'll have to give Starscream your energon directly to aid in his healing, it will have to be done at least once or twice a day” First Aid replied.

“Yes, that's all very well and good, but what about my leg? Megatron... destroyed it to keep me from escaping, took away my flight...” Starscream shivered.

“It will need to be completely rebuilt... we'll have to break it again in some places, completely reconstruct most of it then restore it... but we're not sure your frame could deal with a shut down while we do it, so you have two options” First Aid said.

“Option one is wait until your frame is in better condition, or option two, we load you with painkillers and anaesthetic and break it with you conscious, but you'll have to watch us operate, you'll be completely bed bound, but you may be able to walk slightly in a few weeks with an aid.” Ratchet added.

“I'll take option two... I want to walk as soon as I can...” Starscream said.

“We're not leaving here Scream, if you walk out that door, Megatron will reclaim you... and the twins will be...” Skyfire added.

“Wasn't planning to... I just need to exercise, I hate being in this position... gathering mass...I need to be able to wander... to fly again...” Starscream complained.

Jazz had been quietly listening and observing along with Marissa and Optimus who was beginning to feel his pain again. At the mention of an operation Jazz' tanks began to roll, he certainly did not want to see that, he turned to Optimus.

“Optimus! It's good to see you're awake but look, I really don't want to watch that operation, I think I might head out, what about you Marissa?” Jazz asked.

“I... might I watch?” Marissa asked.

“Sure, just sit over on this here” Ratchet said as he let her into his servos and placed her up high, she sat and stared at the downed seeker, he didn't seem so scary now.

“Jazz...I'm stuck here, I must let my leg heal and recharge to gain my strength” Optimus informed, Jazz could see from the straps he wasn't allowed to leave, the doctors in the base were fantastic but awfully strict... but to be fair to them Prime had a habit of not following instructions.

“It's all good, the base is too tired from the attack to do anything stupid and the Cons are no doubt resting, I'll be out surveying the area, catch ya'” and in a blink of an optic he was gone.

“I'll stay here and watch over Starscream, will that be ok?” Skyfire asked.

“Yes, take a seat there.” First Aid pointed at a nearby seat as he was cleaning instruments that were needed for the surgery.

“I'll take Thundercracker back to the cells...” Wheeljack said.

“No, let me stay here, I won't look, but I need to be here for Sky” Thundercracker said, half asking.

“Alright, I'm gonna go do ummm....stuff....for this, see ya Ratchet.” Wheeljack pointed at his mid then held it and waddled off awkwardly.

“Make sure you're... you know Jackie...” Ratchet yelled out as he prepared the drugs needed for the surgery then began to move Optimus into one of the other rooms.

“I believe it would be good for me to go into recharge to allow my injuries to heal themselves but I need to ask about Wheeljack, it's not long now is it?” Optimus asked curiously, his visor was down, his derma on display, he had a soft welcoming face, many of the younger bots saw him as their sire or carrier figure.

“Ten days... now we have more to feed, we have the energon reserves don't we...” Ratchet asked.

“We do... for now... once Wheeljack has them we can adjust accordingly” Optimus replied, Ratchet gritted his denta... he needed the extra rations and what he got already wasn't going to be enough in ten days, especially if he went back down to what he was having before Wheeljack's predicament... and if the sparkling was large, he touched at his chassis, optics dashing downward.

“Is there a problem Ratchet? You can tell me” Optimus asked, noting his reaction.

“No...not at the moment Optimus... I just...It's gonna be difficult when he delivers...” Ratchet replied, hoping there would be no prying.

“I do hope the insurance is somewhat worth the effort...Ratchet, I know seeing sparklings is hard for the both of you right now, especially with Wheeljack's carry... if you need me to, I'll listen” Optimus spoke calmly.

“Well Optimus I'm...I'm just worried about their safety is all, and I know I can't have ours, not until after the war...I just... had a little sparkache is all... but Jackie...it's not a carry, so drop it Optimus” Ratchet insisted.

“Very well...but if you have any problems, I'm here for you” Optimus replied, he watched Ratchet smile then walk off to perform the surgery on Starscream, it would be a long one.

 

Wheeljack locked his berth and groaned at what he had to do it, but it was very necessary. He opened his panels up, which after all day of having to force to keep them closed, felt so good to open them and began to stretch his thighs opening and closing . He felt awkward and stupid as he began moving himself, but it helped to relieve tension in them and loosen up circuits.

Wheeljack began to feel pressure in his hips, that's a good thing right? He felt pain too so he stopped and moved to the washroom, venting deeply as pain and pressure filled his frame, but the nice warm spray relaxed him. It was nice to feel clean...although it was never for long, he'd only feel clean once these things were out...maybe not even then. 

When he got out he crashed on his berth, keeping his valve plates open he spread his pedes, it felt so good, he stopped trying to suck himself in and let everything push outwards, the brood stirred in his mid as they pushed painfully against his plating, creating visible oval shapes in his mid.

Wheeljack hissed then moaned and began to massage himself, he felt so round and large, his frame was heavy and bloated, he could hardly move right now, all he wanted was to recharge but he couldn't even do that. His valve was moist and ready to receive, but he didn't have the energy to service himself, his spike slammed against his panel so he allowed it to exit only to have it slam against his protruding mid, he could hardly keep anything closed right now.

He was ready to be fragged, but he was far too exhausted and stuffed to the brim for that. He really felt awfully heavy after struggling to turn onto his side. He simply laid there, massaging and rubbing at his swollen mid...Percy was right, it did look ready to explode, he was still carrying high although it felt as if it had lowered slightly. In his search he'd noticed that he had large divots between plating. The slight dropping and divots meant he was quickly approaching his due date and it filled him with severe anxiety, he tried to push the thought back again, he still had ten days left, over a week.

Wheeljack had trouble falling into recharge until he felt a large frame envelop him, wrapping strong servos around his chassis, one over his spark and the other on his rounded mid as it began to rub at it.

“It'll be the reverse soon enough won't it?” Ratchet talked softly into audials.

“I can't wait to feel it when it's kicking... an actual sparkling... my sparkling” Wheeljack said excitedly.

“Thundercracker was taken to the cells by Ironhide, he's able to walk, but not fully recovered” Ratchet said, changing the subject.

“How'd the surgery go?” Wheeljack asked.

“It went well, the twins will be fine and his leg will heal properly, it will take some time, but it will heal. Skyfire elected to stay in med and First Aid told me to go to you” Ratchet said, kissing Wheeljack's neck cables.

“That's good... how's our little one?” Wheeljack asked.

“Been behaving... I'm worried” Ratchet said anxiously.

“Heh... little troublemaker... I just know he's gonna get us in trouble but it's worth it” Wheeljack giggled.

“Yes... it's quite grim that if we get caught...there's a chance...” Ratchet said.

“You'd defect...I'd come with you, we can live off my insurance, whatever it is and this planet” Wheeljack said assuringly.

“I doubt Optimus would want to lose us...he'd do anything to keep me but this war, our little one shouldn't be a part of it” Ratchet added.

“Want...to fight” a tiny voice echoed through both bots sparks.

“No, no fighting...” Ratchet said to it.

“They can talk already?” Wheeljack heard it that time.

“They know a few words... I wasn't expecting it this early either... the manual never covered this” Ratchet pointed out.

“I... can fight” It said.

“You can but you shouldn't, please let us recharge, you can wrestle your carriers spark tomorrow ok” Wheeljack said.

“Wait...don't encourage them Jackie” Ratchet complained.

“Will...” it said.

“Ugh...if I get noticed, I'm blaming you” Ratchet whined.

“Well It IS your fault for not keeping the previous bolts in the systems and forgetting” Wheeljack said.

“Ok, I'll accept that, I wouldn't have forgotten if you never opened that portal and got implanted...” Ratchet teased.

“You wouldn't be sparked right now if I wasn't implanted...where are we even going with this?” Wheeljack giggled.

“Well I'm going insane, and you need recharge for your stuffed little frame” Ratchet said as he rubbed at the brood.

“And you need recharge to make sure our little one is strong” Wheeljack replied, reaching a servo behind him and patting at Ratchet's chassis.

“We're both stuffed... literally and figuratively” Ratchet retorted.

“Heh, true” Wheeljack said, feeling Ratchet began to nuzzle and nip at his neck cables, finally relaxing the striped mech as engines purred into each other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cat needed to add some silliness, because silly.


	26. Chapter 26

Wheeljack was the first to online this time, he needed to walk, getting on his pedes and carefully waddling in circles around his berth, he found his frame heated quickly, his venting quickened and deepened. He looked at his form in their mirror, he saw deepening divots and that his paunch was slowly lowering, the feelings he had last night were true, ten days was now nine days... but that was still more than a week, he'd put off the thoughts for later.

Ratchet began to stir at the loud deep venting he could hear from his bond, who stood in the mirror, grasping at his rounded form. Ratchet observed those same divots and lowering and knew instantly what his bond was worried about. As soon as Ratchet got to his own pedes, the sparkling was beginning to thrash inside his chamber, causing him to hiss and clutch at it.

“At least they let ya' recharge last night... when do ya' start today?” Wheeljack asked.

“Ugh... in an hour... till tonight, First Aid is making the timetables...this is your fault Wheeljack...” Ratchet spoke between heavy pulses.

“I thought we established this was your fault already Ratch...but I'll take responsibility for the misbehaving... you should be grateful” Wheeljack chuckled.

“You're an enabler...don't ever make deals with it again...please... for my sake” Ratchet whined.

“I can't promise anything Ratch...anyway, how long we got till you... y'know?” Wheeljack asked.

“Usually you don't show until around eight weeks and that's only a very small bump...but if it's a bigger frame... six maybe” Ratchet said, the sparkling going haywire in his chest.

“And if it's a big frame, it'll be a big spark right? Which means that your chassis will be bumped, that will cause suspicion” Wheeljack asked.

“Correct, I'll worry about that later... but usually it's very rarely more than a bot can carry...cases happen though” Ratchet said, continuing to clutch his spark.

“Huh, well, thanks, when do we need to start interfacing? Yer gonna have to be the receiver more...that's a lot of noise...” Wheeljack teased.

“I swear I’ll get these damn sirens under control one day, it's hard to tell when but our frames will let us know” Ratchet said, his spark in agony from the sparkling.

“We're gonna get noticed earlier than we thought because of this one aren't we...” Wheeljack teased.

“Shush you...” Ratchet said.

“When ya' start to show...oh it'll be great” Wheeljack teased again.

Ratchet simply looked at his bond, still clutching his spark, an annoyed look formed on his derma, this carry would destroy his reputation... that was something that he was worried about. If the war was finished he could hide away for a year. His comrades would see the serious, angry medic that struck fear with a single glance, grow softer and rounder with a sparkling, Ratchet groaned in annoyance, he was already teased for transference, carrying would be worse.

“I can't wait to see yer bump Ratch... you'll look so dang cute” Wheeljack teased.

“You're enjoying this too much...” Ratchet replied, trying to mask his embarrassment.

“And you’re not enjoying it enough, c'mon, you find me entertaining like this and you're actually sparked...it's my turn now to enjoy you” Wheeljack said.

“Fine...I gotta go, do your exercise and get plenty of rest, you'll need it for the meeting in three days...” Ratchet said.

“Four days actually, it got postponed” Perceptor arrived.

“Why? And you didn't hear our conversation did you?” Ratchet asked.

“I might have heard something about being sparked...” Perceptor was confused.

“Oh... scrap, we were talking about Starscream being sparked and how it's worrying for everyone because of the energon reserves” Wheeljack interjected.

“I see, but when Wheeljack has the brood, you'll have nothing to worry about, well see ya Ratchet, take good care of Screamer, Stripes here is mine.” Perceptor sounded like he was in a good mood today, although Ratchet and Wheeljack could tell that Perceptor just wanted the things out by this point too despite his cheery exterior.

Wheeljack watched Ratchet leave, anxiety ate at his spark. Wheeljack was still uncomfortable using his own experiment without Perceptor and they were only allowed to gather a certain amount of the energon from the planet every now and again, just in case there are unknown anomalies. Perceptor wasn't entirely sure if using the energon from the planet without diluting it would be a good idea at this point, he was still testing the nature of what it does to Cybertronians.

Wheeljack also knew that he would have to keep up his own energon reserves for Ratchet, but if things really went south, Wheeljack could give his own rations to Ratchet, that is if if he could hide his exhaustion and cut down on his drives that he would be doing. He really missed his drives, his mid was far too big and he'd been unable to take to his alt since around day thirty. Wheeljack couldn't wait to be able to race again, he was going insane from being bound to the base. 

Perceptor did his usual but Wheeljack noticed that his good mood had faded away once the brood began to push against Wheeljack's mid, forming circles. Perceptor winced and traced at the divots and grasped the bottom, Wheeljack was annoyed by the perpetual barrage of servos that always liked to explore his swollen abdomen like an experiment.

“Definitely not much longer now, you making preparations?... the meeting is in four days” Perceptor informed, voice less cheery and more work related.

“Thought it was three...” Wheeljack asked.

“It's four now...” Perceptor said.

“Ugh, why...” Wheeljack complained, it would be day forty-five for himself and day fifteen for their sparkling, Ratchet might give it away.

“WPC needed to postpone it, means an extra day for the Aerialbots and extra energon” Perceptor said.

“If ya' like, we can get more from the portal, we'll need it, I'll use it mostly, it works to calm my frame and it's also good at nullifying the effects that Ratchet feels...” Wheeljack said, clutching his aching mid, he felt nauseous. 

“Sounds like a plan, here, I'll help you, but this is between us, Optimus has an embargo on the amount of times we use it remember?” Perceptor mused.

“I know, but between you and me, he won't even notice if we do it a lil more than the usual anyway” Wheeljack replied with a cheeky smirk as he turned towards the door. Perceptor aided in taking Wheeljack to his lab.

 

Ratchet had to relieve First Aid, who needed his rest, but before he left he informed Ratchet that the meeting had been postponed to four days from now, rather than three. Ratchet sighed in response and felt the sparkling begin to attack his spark again. Ratchet was getting tired of it already and it didn’t even have a frame yet. First Aid also informed that he had a fair amount of medicine to mix, Optimus was allowed to be dismissed this afternoon and Starscream until later. Ironhide was dismissed earlier.

When Ratchet was finally finished with the medicines he checked on Optimus first, who seemed to be relaxed. It also appeared that First Aid had undone the straps, he must be on good behaviour. Ratchet checked Optimus's leg and changed the support and administered a pain killer.

“You should be able to walk on it with assistance but don't push yourself too hard, the Cons are probably worse off, their only staff trained in any sort of medicine are here or on Cybertron” Ratchet informed, pointing to the visible support attached to his leg.

“I'll try my best...but what about you Ratchet? You were clutching at your spark as you spoke... is Wheeljack doing ok?” Optimus said and as he mentioned Ratchet's actions, Ratchet pulled his servo away from his spark, he did it subconsciously...how did he not realise?

“I'm...Wheeljack is worrying me, I keep worrying that he's not going to make it... but I know he'll pull through...he needs to...he needs to for us...” Ratchet said, not realising what he had said until after it came out.

“The strength of your bond is truly wonderful, this war has to end soon.” Optimus stared at Ratchet's chassis, it seemed strange but he couldn't quite put a digit on his curiosity. He pushed it away as he attempted to stand, the support helped but he still hobbled slightly.

“Yeah... take care Prime” Ratchet said as he shooed him away, he needed to check on Starscream, he also had questions for him.

Ratchet brought over some of the mixer energon, it worked well to calm bots, he made sure to knock on the door first before entering, they invited him in. When Ratchet came in he was surprised to see that Starscream was letting him see their sparks. Two shining blues orbs, they were around the same size as the seekers own and squeezed at it, Ratchet thought it looked quite cramped in there, he touched at his own, smiling in response.

“They seem happy and healthy, how was your night?” Ratchet asked as he smiled a genuine smile, both bots were puzzled at this, they'd never seen this side of him.

“They're quite happy, very much because they're away from Megatron, we all recharged well...why are you in such a good mood?” Starscream asked, closing his panel.

“Well...I'm happy for you and your family, am I not allowed to be?” Ratchet said jokingly.

“It's just that... you're never cheery Ratchet” Skyfire said bluntly.

“I am... it's just...usually nobody sees it” Ratchet said defensively.

“Anyway, how much longer till I can walk around?” Starscream moaned.

“Not for another week or so, you'll still have to wear something for a few weeks more to heal” Ratchet informed.

“Oh for love of the allspark” Starscream whined.

“You'll have to be patient... can I ask about your carry?” Ratchet needed to know what he was in for...should he tell him?

“Fine... if you must” Starscream screetched.

“Why?” Skyfire asked.

“Just... curious...you see, just would like to know what it's been like for you” Ratchet replied, hoping he wasn't in it.

“Ok, fire away” Starscream replied.

“Well...when did they start communicating with you? And did they play with your spark and hurt it?” Ratchet hoped the questions weren't too much of a give away.

“Hmm, it wasn't until after around two weeks I heard voices, I just thought they were my own thoughts, I never realised I had been sparked until Me-... no, they soothed it, but never really hurt it, there were play fightings but nothing too far” Starscream replied, Ratchet noted that the sparkling he kept said it's first word around day five and seems to like brutally assaulting his own spark.

“That sounds pretty specific Ratchet...is someone having those symptoms” Skyfire asked, Ratchet tried to hide his shock.

“Just...just stories I've heard, remembering some of them now” Ratchet hoped that would knock off their suspicion, but his own sparkling decided to thrash about in his chassis, he tried not to touch, but it hit him so hard he keeled over in agony.

“Ratchet? Are you ok? You should look at your own spark!.” Skyfire ran over to help the medic to his pedes.

“I'm fine...I'm fine just...scrap.” Ratchet looked down to see that his spark chamber had opened up and that it was on display for all to see, the little sparkling must have triggered some kind of response, Ratchet tried to put his servo over his now not cooperating panels.

“Ahh, so that's why you're questioning me... the Autobot medic got sparked during a war too? I'd expect it from one of those dimwitted twins but you?” Starscream teased as he cackled away.

“It looks like it's around twenty days! How have you hidden it for that long, let me see!” Skyfire asked, trying to get a better glimpse of it, Ratchet not allowing him, his derma flashing blues, pinks and violets as he tried to cover himself.

“Twenty! It's only been eleven...oh scrap” Ratchet finally got his panels closed, then it hit him... it was going to be quite large, even for his size.

“Oh, it's gonna be a big one, won't be able to hide it for more than say...another three or four weeks and that's a stretch if it's gonna behave like that” Starscream said, laughing loudly.

“Please don't tell anyone” Ratchet said, his sparkling finally stopped.

“Got yourself a trouble maker there Ratchet, your secrets safe with us, who else knows?” Skyfire asked.

“First Aid and Wheeljack...the whole base in a few days if it keeps this up” Ratchet complained, Starscream laughing his helm off, good to see he was making a positive step towards recovery from his trauma at least.

“How does a medic, who can put in his own bolt, get sparked?” Starscream pushed between giggles.

“One forgets to swap the bolt out ten days earlier than it's expiry date because of their size resulting in this” Ratchet said, pointing at his chassis, Starscream responded by cackling even harder and louder.

“Those things within Wheeljack, must have been quite a lot to make you forget” Skyfire added.

“Yeah... well, I better let you two recharge I have other things to attend to” Ratchet replied snappily stroking at his chassis while walking out before they could ask him why. He didn't wish to stick around and be laughed at any longer by Starscream.

Ratchet walked on over to his office, covered his derma with his servos and sighed loudly. This 'secret' wasn't going to be one for much longer. If only this damn thing would stop attacking his spark things would be fine.

“You see what you've done? If they find you this early... I don't want to lose you...can you please behave yourself, your carrier loves you...but you're being a pain right now” Ratchet opened his panel and slowly stuck a digit in, he was expecting it to be zapped but instead it soothingly rubbed against it.

“Me...sorry...just want...fight...protect...” It said to his spark, Ratchet closed his optics and smiled, his anger melted away at it's pulses.

“I know...but you can't do that until you’re formed, I'll tell you when you can play, but please, when your carrier is doing things, try to behave, I'll let you wrestle with your sires digits tonight.” Ratchet couldn't believe he was bargaining with a sparkling.

“Me... try to be good...” It assured.

“Thank you, but not fight, play...” Ratchet sat in his chair, playing with the little thing until he needed to see his next client. Hound was there, he'd been out and an Earth creature had flown into his gears as he transformed. The poor bot was mortified, he didn't mean it, he hated hurting the creatures and fluids leaked from his optics at accidentally destroying one. Ratchet would have to pick out pieces of organic from the bot and reassure him, this was going to be a long afternoon.

 

Wheeljack had successfully used the portal with Perceptors help, although he had to retire early because the brood was getting restless. After he cleansed and took his place in his berth, he had a sudden need to interface. Ratchet was still busy, his frame was too much to do anything with so the feelings just made him groan as he allowed all his panels to open, including his spark chamber.

He laid there open and spread, same as the previous night, overstuffed and needing to be fragged. He laid on his back and looked down, his mid was certainly huge, so huge he couldn't see anything past it. He elected to try and ignore it but began to pay attention to his empty spark chamber. He thought of what it would be like to have a tiny spark or two next to his own, how it would comfort him through the carry. This emptiness he felt in his spark had been something that helped contribute to his feelings, he tossed the thought around before, but it really hit him right now, with Ratchet getting to be with their little one, while Wheeljack was stuck with these parasites.

He wished it were the other way around... but he couldn't bare to think of Ratchet going through what he was going through. Even if his frame was better equipped to deal with them... he was still glad his experiment didn't affect his bondmate like it did himself. 

Wheeljack reached into his sparkchamber, poking at his own spark casing, feeling around it, he wished his Ratchet was here, he wanted to kiss him and play with their little one. They needed a name for them, but what? It was probably much too early.

Wheeljack heard a crack at the door as Ratchet entered to find him with every panel he had open and his pedes spread as far apart as they could go. Ratchet stared at the striped mech for a little bit before coming towards him and placing a kiss on his exposed spark.

“You umm, you comfortable there Jackie?” Ratchet asked as he took his place beside him, barely enough room for his frame.

“As a matter of fact I am, I just... I need to spread myself out, it's so hard keeping everything closed up during the day, I gotta let it all out at night” Wheeljack complained as he rubbed carefully at his mid.

“I get it... someone wants to see you, so make yourself presentable” Ratchet said.

“Do ya' think they care?” Wheeljack asked, closing his panels up.

“I... just do it” Ratchet said, opening his chamber up, Wheeljack's derma lit up as the light from their little one reached it and began to coo at the spark that circled his bond's, reaching a digit in to play.

“Hello there, is your Carrier being a mean ol mech?” Wheeljack asked as it lightly zapped his digit.

“I haven't” Ratchet said grumpily.

“Sure... say... have we thought of a name yet?” Wheeljack asked, poking at the spark.

“Ummm not yet, it's still too early, we need something that will fit... but Skyfire said it was bigger than it should be at this stage... you might be getting your wish Jackie” Ratchet complained.

“We'll think of one eventually and oh? Yer in for it Ratchet... but our secret...” Wheeljack felt a tinge of sadness, the sparkling already had so much personality, he already felt a connection to it.

“I know... I had to tell Scream and Sky... decided to attack my spark and trigger my panel to open...turns out sparklings can do that...” Ratchet informed.

“Primus... must be a smart little one then...takes after me” Wheeljack jested.

“I think it gets the trouble from you Jackie...” Ratchet teased.

“Trouble...Sire is trouble” the sparkling said.

“Am not” Wheeljack said.

“Are too” it replied.

“Must be a smart one” Ratchet said.

“Oh shush” Wheeljack said as he reached his servo to rub Ratchet's mid.

“I'm not even frame-building yet Jackie...” Ratchet said annoyed.

“You will be soon...say, I need a quick... a quick you know.... please” Wheeljack begged.

“What happened to finding out a name?” Ratchet asked.

“Ugh, like you said, not old enough yet- YEOWCH, that's quite a lock on with your zaps there” Wheeljack removed his digit and put it in his mouth.

“Ok, go to recharge little one, your carrier and sire need some time for just us” Ratchet closed up his panels and allowed Wheeljack to climb ontop of him, with assistance of course, his large round frame needed to be handled delicately.

Wheeljack began by passionately kissing Ratchet, trying to glide his glossa into the bigger mechs mouth. Ratchet tried to hold his bond in a position that felt comfortable for both of them, which was extremely difficult considering Wheeljack's current predicament. After struggling to find a position they finally settled on one. Ratchet had one servo around his aft and the other rested over his flank where he could feel his large swell and the divots between his panels.

“Is this...ok Ratchet? Ugh... I feel huge...” Wheeljack complained as he sat up, feeling his paunch between his thighs, he could never get used to that feeling, he felt far too big and heavy.

“Jackie... just open your panels and frag me...my spikes ready for you” Ratchet whispered, he'd needed this for a while now too, he was just too worried about his bond.

“You're so fragging hot...” Wheeljack said with a smirk as he opened his valve panel and began to grind against Ratchet's, his movements were awkward and he felt heavy on Ratchet's hips, but he enjoyed the extra mass as he grabbed at his thighs.

Ratchet hissed as his panels moved away, allowing his spike to come out, Wheeljack moved atop of it and ground against it, Wheeljack was rather heavy on it and Ratchet could feel pain.

“Jackie... ouch... crushing...” Ratchet said wincing.

“Oh, I'm sorry Ratch... should have known I’m too massive for that right now...” Wheeljack felt a little damaged at that.

“Jackie.. you stupid sexy aft... just ride me” Ratchet demanded.

“I thought I was in charge tonight” Wheeljack said.

“Then show me” Ratchet smirked as he tried to lick at Wheeljack's scar, but he pulled away from it Ratchet hissed, “Why Jackie...” 

“Because I said I'm in charge” Wheeljack opened his panel and allowed his spike to exit, it hit his swollen mid, causing an annoyed sigh to emerge, he didn't like his mid impeding on his spike either, he looked down but all he could see was his own roundness and moving shapes, he was so sick of it, if he was sparked he could smile at the ripe frame...he really missed the sight of his spike.

“Do you want me to stroke your spike?” Ratchet asked, practically begging.

“Yes... is it still pretty...” Wheeljack asked.

“Um...yes... hasn't changed” Ratchet replied, confused.

“Sorry... I miss seeing it” Wheeljack complained.

“I’m glad I get to” Ratchet could tell Wheeljack was getting annoyed, he noted his derma clenching from the loud clang of his spike hitting the bottom of his swell.

Wheeljack awkwardly lifted himself onto Ratchet's spike and began to ride it, starting of slowly to get them both into it. Ratchet stroked and rubbed his spike, trying to do it in time with Wheeljacks own movements. Wheeljack slowly sped up, both bots moaning once Wheeljack reached the perfect rhythm. Wheeljack felt his spike twitch becoming hot and warm as pre fluid leaked from it all over Ratchet's servo, which began to increase in speed. Shortly after he overloaded, spraying blue over the bottom of his swell and over Ratchet's chassis, spray hitting the medics mouth along with it. Ratchet let go and put his servo to his mouth, licking off his bond's sweet essence, engine purring as he lapped it up like it was sacred liquid.

Wheeljack began to ride faster as Ratchet's spike found his internal node, he leaned forward to attempt to rub his anterial and external against Ratchet's hips, he found the perfect spot and his moans grew louder and deeper eventually deteriorating into whines as he was overcome with pleasure. Wheeljack kept riding at the pace he discovered, Ratchet rolling up into his to encourage the beautiful aria erupting from his vocals which eventually crescendoed once Wheeljack overloaded. Bliss, static and pleasure filled his frame as he purred in delight at having been filled by his bond.

“I'm glad you enjoyed that, we better go clean ourselves up, you made quite the mess, you dirty little thing” Ratchet said slapping him lightly on the thigh, causing Wheeljack to smirk.

“You enjoyed my fluids” Wheeljack said as he smirked, seeing Ratchet's face and chassis marked made him feel exhilarated.

“It's a shame it got ON me and not in me” Ratchet teased, causing a chuckle to emerge from Wheeljack.

Wheeljack carefully removed himself and closed his panels to trap Ratchet's fluid within him, both bots headed over to cleanse themselves. Ratchet helping Wheeljack clean under his bulge and carefully scrubbing away, massaging his large mid.

“I've been a little worried... I've gotta get this out of processor... is me being sparked an issue for you currently...” Ratchet asked awkwardly under the spray.

“I... sometimes I get a little mad that it's not me... that I'm stuck with these things and that I wish it was reversed, then I think of seeing you suffer like I do and it hurts me... but... I'm going to be a sire and we are in fact having a sparkling... and that information... it makes me so happy, that I just... don't feel that bad ya know... just happy we're having a little one together” Wheeljack said with a half smile.

“I'm glad, ever since I found out that I was carrying I've felt guilty but... this nightmare will be over soon and then you get to watch me grow and this time next year you'll be chasing our little one around the place” Ratchet said smiling, trying to picture what it could be.

“Watching you grow round with our sparkling... I can't wait” Wheeljack responded as he placed a servo over Ratchet's flat mid, Ratchet smiled as his derma turned purple at his words.

Once they were clean they took their place on the berth, listening to each others sparks and that of their little one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More time wasting.


	27. Chapter 27

The four days before the meeting had been relatively stale for both Ratchet and Wheeljack. Aside from the planning, there wasn't anything remotely interesting. Ratchet kept up his appearances in Med and Wheeljack had to rest much more often and spent most of his days in his lab organising or in his berth.

On the day of the meeting, Perceptor did his usual stuff with Wheeljack, noting it was day forty-five and that it was less than a week when they were due, although things never went as planned, so it could be early or even late. Wheeljack was finally beginning to panic. 

“I should let you know that the General appeared at the base today, he will be part of today’s meeting too” Perceptor informed.

“Well...this is joyous... but maybe we can finally agree to peace or something and take on the Cons” Wheeljack said, deeply annoyed.

“I'll be there with you Jackie” Ratchet said, feeling queasy and nauseous, his mid began to ache.

“You both don't seem good today, although you have no choice but to be here....Ratchet you look like you're gonna heave your energon. Are you ok?” Perceptor asked.

“Yeah... I'll be fine” Ratchet rubbed at his chassis and fought the urge to touch his mid.

“The Wildlife bunch will be glad to see how I'm coming along...” Wheeljack interjected, trying to get Perceptor's gaze off of Ratchet.

Ratchet moved his servo to his mouth, and another to his mid, he really didn't want to purge his morning energon as it riled up his intake. Ratchet tried swallowing it to keep it down, but it kept rising, he quickly and quietly excused himself to lean over the sink in the wash room, dry heaving as his body attempted to empty his tank but nothing came up.

“Is he gonna be ok? Ratchet's never unwell like this, is something wrong?” Perceptor asked.

“I think it's just the transference or something, he'll be ok” Wheeljack said, knowing damn well it was their sparkling, he was doing pretty good so far, but Wheeljack assumed that Ratchet's frame was finally reacting.

“I thought you said since taking the mixture, the transference was minimised?” Perceptor pointed out.

“Well... I don't know but it's nothing to worry about” Wheeljack assured, trying to ignore his sounds from his bond, it seemed he was trying to purge but nothing was coming up, Perceptor looked suspicious, but there was no point in prying.

“I'll...be fine...this is awful” Ratchet spoke between gagging.

“Just purge already the meeting is soon” Wheeljack called out.

“It's... oh” Ratchet purged his tank but only little bits of energon came out, he was utterly disgusted with himself and still felt incredibly nauseous.

Ratchet cleaned his mouth up and walked out, crouched and holding his mid, still feeling nauseous and queasy. He had a strange sensation in his abdomen he couldn't quite describe, something between warmth and burning, tickling and pain. The sparkling was bouncing in his chassis, full of energy but luckily it wasn't fighting with him.

“You look awful” Perceptor retorted.

“I feel worse...hope this meeting goes quick” Ratchet whined.

“Me too... the brood gets more restless by the day.... they want out... I want them out too” Wheeljack said irritated.

Like before, Ratchet, Wheeljack and Perceptor were the first to enter, both Perceptor and Ratchet helped Wheeljack into his seat. Wheeljack had severe pains all though his frame to the point where walking had become difficult. He still could, it just made his pedes and backstrut ache, the brood kept stirring within, knocking at all of his insides.

Ratchet took his seat and still felt nauseous, the sparkling bouncing around in his chamber, bumping his own. Ratchet tried not to touch his chassis or rub at his mid just in case Perceptor spotted him, it would be tough to try avoiding it through the meeting.

Perceptor organised all the files and began to set up the equipment necessary to call the WPC, they would be contacted later on in the meeting after all the main concerns were out of the way. Perceptor looked at Wheeljack and then to Ratchet, both bots looked as if they needed a break today, Perceptor then took his own seat, keeping an optic on each.

Prowl was next to enter, after spotting Wheeljack he quickly averted his optics, the sight unsettled and sickened him, he made sure to sit far away from the bot. Wheeljack didn't take offence at his gesture. Prowl was just Prowl, he'd certainly be happy this meeting as it was his turn to take minutes.

“It's only a quick update and settlements this time, having the human military leader here...I'm not comfortable and besides, I haven't heard anything from that bug you placed Wheeljack, they may have found and disabled it” Prowl said, he had a dislike of new people.

“You and me both Prowl, so that's another reason why you never bothered to see me, strange how the humans haven't brought it up” Wheeljack replied, Prowl simply nodded. 

“As long as...ugh...as long as you don't step on anyone we'll be in the clear, also, if you keep your vocals on silent and stick to writing” Ratchet retorted to Prowl, still feeling nauseous.

“That was the plan” Prowl said with a huff, not bothering to ask why Ratchet looked ill, it wasn't his business to know right now.

Optimus and Jazz entered next, Jazz with Marissa nearby, which he aided into one of the seats. Marissa smiled at Wheeljack and Ratchet, waving at them. She noticed both seemed a little off but didn't say anything. Optimus hobbled into his seat, leg still healing but it was looking better.

“TC and Skyfire will be listening in too” Jazz mentioned.

“What about Screamer? Will he be ok alone?” Ratchet asked swallowing his own fluids to keep his nausea down, trying desperately hard not to touch his chassis as the sparkling continued to thrash about within.

“Skyfire told us that he will be fine and the Aerialbots will be protecting and keeping him company, as flyers they'll have much to talk about. They've been slowly introducing themselves so he feels safe when they're around” Optimus informed, causing Ratchet to ex-vent in relief.

He did notice the Aerialbots popping into Med a lot during the past few days to talk to him, it was always a surprise, but a welcome one, Skyfire was fine with it, so Ratchet was fine with it.

“Wheeljack... are you gonna be ok during this?” Marissa asked, worried for the striped bot.

“I..I think... or at least I hope...” Wheeljack replied with slight anxiety in his vocals, Marissa smiled at him, he returned it, thankful for her concern.

“Not long now...” Jazz said.

“When I'm back to my sleek and sexy self, I'll be sure to take ya for a rally romp huh Marissa” Wheeljack said, trying to change the subject, causing her to giggle in response.

“Oh? What about my rides Marissa, I go fast when you tell me, I'm good at racing too” Jazz said, feeling a tinge of jealousy.

“Yer fast but ya can't stunt drive Jazz” Wheeljack teased, it had been what? Around a month since he took his alt? he hoped he hadn't lost his skills.

“I'll take you on as soon as you're in shape Jackie don't you dare try backing out on me” Jazz said passionately, Wheeljack laughed.

“I promise, I'm gonna win, we'll do a mixed terrain” Wheeljack said.

“Deal, mixed terrain” Jazz agreed.

“I vote I get to be the flag lady” Marissa said, laughing, she didn’t realise Jazz was so defensive. 

Marissa quite enjoyed her time at the base, she'd actually gotten to drive Jazz before. She'd also been given lifts by a few of the other bots, such as Hound who took her to his favourite spot to watch birds. Optimus who took her into town and joined the convoy, honking his horn away for a good cause and making children smile as he drove by. Sideswipe who showed off his 'moves' and Sunstreaker who showed off his 'style', each bot had their own individual personality and likes and dislikes, she'd learned so much about them and their love for the Earth, she was happy to be given this experience. Marissa hoped that she could catch a ride in one of the jets at some point in future.

Shortly after their conversation, Silverbolt, Skyfire and Thundercracker entered, each taking a seat. Thundercracker wasn't quite sure why he was present, but he wasn't about to argue with anybody about it, Skyfire on the other-hand.

“Why are TC and I here?” Skyfire asked politely.

“I believe with you two present we can come up with a solution to deal with the Decepticons, it may take some time, but this is a step forward” Optimus informed.

“I think Screamer is a better choice to be here than me, I'm just a scientist, Screamer was the second in command” Thundercracker remarked.

“It's a bit hard for him to attend these with his current condition, perhaps our next one, you were close to other Cons too and can aid in telling us how things go and who's ready to split” First Aid added, he had slipped in mostly unnoticed and took his seat, only Ratchet had seen him enter.

“I'm not sure what I can do or tell you, but I'll try my best, Screamy will be a much better tactician than I am” Thundercracker replied.

“Starscream will hopefully be able to sit in our next meeting, however, he is notorious for his betrayal, we must be weary of him” Optimus added.

“It's...it's not like that...he can be trusted” Skyfire added.

“There is a possibility that if he is shown genuine kindness he may feel safer and less likely to act, in his current state he's most likely lacking any drive or energy to betray us, I should add that at the moment our enemy is mutual, that enemy is Megatron and we must temporarily align ourselves to get Cons who trust him, if they exist, to help overthrow Megatron” Silverbolt added, he was seated in the chair closest to the door and perusing his datapad as he spoke.

“But if there are Cons who trust him and we take down Megatron, we'll just have to deal with Starscream heading them” Prowl added.

“He won't...Starscream wants peace, he's trustworthy... I trust him with all my spark, he just wants Jetfire and Jetstorm to have a peaceful life...we're sparkbonded...like you and him” Skyfire said lamentably as he pointed to Ratchet and Wheeljack, who also wanted the same thing for their sparkling and their future ones.

Ratchet and Wheeljack nodded, neither bot knew what to say or were even capable of speaking because of their conditions. Ratchet had been unable to stop his servo from clutching at his spark after Skyfire's plead, Thundercracker noted his movements.

“Scream is carrying twins, how is anybody going to rally behind a sparked bot for battle, even if they could, energon is in bad supply, even with the stuff from the planet, which is still being tested and can only be diluted for approved use currently” Prowl added.

“We may have to wait for the sparklings to be birthed before we're able to launch or plan an attack” Optimus added, he couldn't let Starscream command sparked, Ratchet and Wheeljack looked at each other and Ratchet gritted his denta, First Aid had noticed his reaction, Thundercracker spied it too.

“The seekers may listen to me if I can prove myself, if Starscream can convince them to” Silverbolt butted in.

“I'm not sure it'll be that easy Silver, there's a reason they respect Starscream, he'd need to convince them but in his state...it's best to wait” Thundercracker added, he himself could follow Silverbolt, he witnessed him in battle. He might be able to convince Skywarp to defect, he was close to Thundercracker and actually listened to him on the occasion. Thundercracker's optics kept being dragged into Ratchet's actions, he was beginning to suspect something, but he'd not mention it, if he was sparked, it was none of his business at this current point in time.

“Screamy's not due for another four months, what's stopping Megatron from relaunching an attack, it may be even more aggressive” First Aid added.

“We have Skyfire here and me to help, I'm sure we can get more Cons to defect... Megatron will call for backup from Cybertron, that's why he needs the energon...” Thundercracker went silent, Wheeljack knew exactly who he'd call.

“I do not wish to fight, I do not wish to create things to be aided in fighting...I can't be a part of this war” Skyfire added.

“So you'll choose to remain a centrist? That's how it all occurs, in this there is a clear side, you need to pick it and fight to defend your family, pacifism in this situation IS an act of violence on itself, violence against those who are unable to protect themselves in a war that was dragged to them by your species and I won't stand by it!” Marissa yelled, standing up and despite her small size, the massive jet felt intimidated by this petite dark haired woman.

“I'm... but if I get involved-” Skyfire was cut off.

“You can help to prevent others from dying, stop prolonging this war, it is morally right to fight right now, get it!” Marissa shouted, the jet seemed to be taking in her words, she sat down when the large jet appeared to be analysing what she'd said.

“I'm not amused that you all started without me, is this how your operation usually runs Prime?” All optics and a set of eyes focused on the well built, bald, tattooed man, the General had arrived. First Aid had gotten up to assist the man into the seat.

“Lovely to see you here, you're running late but I assumed that it may have been because of the weather” First Aid said cheerily, he was used to dealing with the man.

Wheeljack felt uneasy and could see the rest of the group did too. The General's eyes met Wheeljacks optics then travelled down to his swollen mid which he rested both his servos on, the man had disgust and a tinge of sympathy on his features as he gritted his teeth at the sight. Ratchet reached out to rub at Wheeljack's winglet, soothing him in the process.

“I do apologise for the lack of professional courtesy during this meeting, but we were carried away by current issues, I will begin this meeting now” Optimus said politely, the General nodded at him.

“I believe these are dire times, so I'll accept your apology...” The General replied, folding his arms and leaning back.

“Welcome everyone, I am Optimus Prime, leader of this ship and the Autobots, I will be heading this meeting, I apologise for not holding it yesterday, but I needed to allow for the General to attend at short notice, I find it to be most advantageous for his attendance today” Optimus said as he tried to save his reputation.

“The first part of the meeting will be discussion of Con activity, then our alliance with the humans, lastly, we will have a call from the Wildlife Preservation Committee, the points are all in the handouts as well as scans and photos of the creatures that reside inside of Wheeljack” Optimus said, his confidence faltering slightly as he mentioned the last point, he noticed Wheeljack's expression dampen when he mentioned his name.

“We'll all start by introducing ourselves, I'm Jazz, second in command and Marissa's guide slash chauffeur around the base” Jazz added, noting that Optimus had forgotten to mention introductions.

“I'm Marissa Faireborn, Captain of the Human Defense Force and liaison officer to the Autobots, currently enjoying my stay and have learned so much about them” Marissa said cheerfully.

“Prowl, Head of Security, WHS and the Law around this ship, I will be taking minutes” he said unenthusiastically as he avoided all eye contact, focusing on jotting down notes.

“Silverbolt, leader of Superion and the Aerialbots, and tired of the same introductions... why don't we just get a sign that says what we do instead of wasting time?” he complained after putting down his pad.

“That would make things easier, we'll consider it for next time” Jazz added.

“I'm a newcomer here, Skyfire, I'm a Scientist myself, my specialities are Biology and Ecosystems, but I dabble in much more” Skyfire sounded a little anxious.

“I'm Thundercracker, I'm a defected Decepticon Scientist, Physics and Chemistry are my thing but I like a few others too” He said confidently, he hoped it would let the others trust him more, Prowl stared deep into his optics.

“Perceptor, Autobot Head of Science Miscellaneous, my majors are in Biology, Biochemistry and Bioengineering, I am knowledgeable in many other areas too” He stated matter of factly.

“Wheeljack here, Head of Mechanical Engineering, Engineering Science, Weapon's Manufacture and Technology, repairs, I know physics, but I elect to ignore them, I do a bit of Biology and other related things too... A Jack of all trades really, I second Silver's suggestion of a sign” Wheeljack said, listing off his servo and rubbing at his large swollen mid with the other, keeping note of his venting as he felt downwards pressure in his abdominal area.

“Ugh... Ratchet... Chief Medical Operations...Head of Medical and Medical Sciences... ” Ratchet felt so nauseous he barely managed to get through his introduction, he hoped nobody would ask, Optimus looked at him concerned but Ratchet waved him away, he noticed Thundercrackers prying optics and looked down.

“I'm First Aid, here because Hot Spot is needed in the field with the Protectobots/Defensor, eternally his stand in for these meetings and their Medical Officer. Here on base I am second in command of Medical Operations, in Charge when Ratchet isn't.” First Aid's tone was cheerful as he eyed Ratchet, he knew exactly why he was nauseous.

“And Finally we come to me, I go by 'The General', I am the leader of the nearby military base, I work closely with the GIs and was in special forces before that, I have many badges under my belt, not that that means anything, that's all I'm going to reveal.” The General attempted to sound friendly.

“Thank you all for your introductions, I will look into signs Silverbolt, but these introductions are professional practice, mandatory for reports, no amendments needed for minutes, Jazz will open with the Cons recent activity” Optimus said, Silverbolt nodded in response, irritation on his derma.

“As everyone here knows, the Cons mounted an all out assault on our base, it ended up in complete failure, especially without Starscream to lead the seekers, they were cowardly and inefficient at combat. TC here isn't a tactician and defected to us, the Cons are currently still recovering and we have not spotted any of them since the attack, I reckon they may be preparing another assault... this time with help from Cybertronian forces, it may be months from now, but when they come... we'll need Earth's help to repel them” Jazz said.

“Shockwave....”Wheeljack said, shuddering.

“Who? Shockwave?” Marissa asked, she noticed Wheeljack's entire demeanour change, he was shaking.

“The one who gave Wheeljack his scars...” Ratchet said as he began to caress the scared bot.

“When I was working... I used to work with him, but he became... crueller and crueller, experimenting on bots, I saw him forcing sparks together, among other twisted horrible things... he created this terrible being, he somehow mixed organic and bot... not to mention he created Astrotrain and Blitzwing... a bot was never meant to have three forms...when I saw him... he blew it up... I remember only the burning and stinging... it wasn't my fault for that explosion...for once” Wheeljack saw the twisted figures, the things he tried to forget, he shook them from his circuits, shaking and shivering in fear, he was almost one of Shockwave's...toys, himself.

“He's bad news alright... but we altered Springer... are we...” First Aid mentioned.

“Springer consented to the change, those Bots... they didn't... Springer knew the risks, sure he has issues, but he was prepared for it...” Wheeljack mentioned.

“We may need additional forces from Cybertron too if that's the case...” Optimus said, unsure of what route to take.

“If we rewire the portal to a certain position on Cybertron we can avoid attention, especially since it's less noticeable than a space bridge” Wheeljack added.

“We must wait until the time is right, we must also never directly engage the Decepticons, they have the advantages of their stolen space bridge technology-” Optimus was cut off.

“Yes, but we have the advantage of MY portal, a smaller scale space bridge, it can be deployed away behind lines and unnoticed” Wheeljack interrupted, he would have stood if he was not so stuffed, his servo hit hard down onto the table.

“It is still a prototype Wheeljack, we also do not know the full extent of the risks of using it yet, you have already encountered your own, besides, those Bots are needed on Cybertron” Optimus added, hoping the striped mech wouldn't be offended.

“Fine... but I say we should mount an attack earlier or at least retake the bridge since you can't use my small one” Wheeljack pushed passive aggressively, causing all optics on him.

“Certainly not before you're due Jackie, why the rush? We need to make sure we're prepared, tactics over brute strength, we must tend to Starscream and the twins first, can't waste energon over this folly, you also forget that the Cons moved their operations closer to the bridge” Perceptor replied in a sing song tune.

“No...ugh... I know but... nevermind” Wheeljack grew silent and stared at Ratchet, who smiled through his debilitating symptoms, he tried, Ratchet knew that it was a pointless push, but he was glad his bond was thinking of him.

“We can't afford to be hasty towards the Cons, they'll use it against us” Jazz added, as he stared at Ratchet's chassis, observing him scratch at it.

“Earth can only provide approved services, currently, it will take months for anything else to be overseen, I am a powerful individual, but not that powerful” The General said, his demeanour different than usual, he seemed worried.

“We must wait until Starsream has had his twins, if the Cons mount an attack, we must be ready to defend...The Aerialbots will assist any time” Silverbolt added.

“Understood, we'll wait until further notice, next topic” Optimus finished, observing Wheeljack's features alter as he looked towards Ratchet, Optimus was puzzled, but it wasn't something he needed to address currently.

Ratchet believed his best approach at the moment was to remain quiet and listen, his bond had tried to talk them into an earlier attack but failed, as he was expecting. If he sounded too desperate to attack, he'd risk the rest of the crew questioning his actions, although he found the idea to be unwise regardless, especially since his build was causing him severe sickness that would only worsen as his mid grew with his developing protoform. 

It was best to listen and attempt to not attract any more attention to himself. Currently he felt as if all of the energon was trying to crawl up his intake and out, burning it's way up, he hoped he could keep it down for the remainder. He kept watchful optics on all bots, hoping they wouldn't notice, but... he saw Jazz and Thundercracker staring at him, he hoped they didn't know enough to notice.

“Ok, next part of the meeting, I Marissa Faireborn have been with you for a few weeks now learning and living with you for my assessment. I am currently enjoying my stay and have learned a lot, I'd like to stay here longer so I can learn even more about you, my findings have been sent to The general for processing” Marissa said cheerfully.

“I'm glad to hear, currently there isn't enough information, but personally...I'd like to apologise on behalf of myself and my crew for our treatment of you, the requests for an official Allegiance is still in development... it will take many weeks for the assessment and then months to finally book the meeting yada yada, but it’s currently looking bright, in the meantime... we can only offer you small drones and birds for assistance...some of the team is still sceptical, we need more time.” The General said monotonously.

“A small step forward...but any request for us to attack humans will be ignored, even if the treaty ends” Prowl said, jotting down and staring into the human. 

“We would never!” Marissa shouted.

“Better not....” Prowl said menacingly. 

“Understood...” The General said, shaking at the police bot, he had an aura that rubbed him wrong, but respected the bots attention to detail and willingness to follow his code.

Wheeljack found it odd that he never brought up their bug, even though it was not responding, perhaps it may have been switched off by a malfunction? Prowl was most likely thinking the same thing as his optics met his own for a split second. Wheeljack was thankful however as it meant that there would be less chance of drama between them for that.

“Thank you...now that that's been addressed...Perceptor, has everything been set up?” Optimus asked shakily.

Wheeljack felt the anxiety rising in his tank, he was so close, his frame was so rotund and bloated, the brood within becoming more and more active. Other features around his mid reminded him of how close they were, deep divots, pressure and a lowering as they moved closer and closer to their opening. He felt awful having to bare his frame again, to be ridiculed again. He felt Ratchet's servo lightly caress his winglet and he began to calm a little. Ratchet was there with him, he was safe with Ratchet.

“Why yes, I'll begin the call now” Perceptor recited, his optics trailed towards Wheeljack who was clutching tightly at his swollen abdomen, Perceptor felt guilt at what was happening, but both parties were prepared for this, there was no choice, Wheeljack nodded anxiously at Perceptor, giving him permission to begin.

Wheeljack watched unflinchingly as Perceptor connected to the call, Wheeljack was prepared for this... he did it before... the reward would be good he told himself. The call felt long and slow, he hoped they wouldn't pick up and would reschedule instead, but luck was not on Wheeljack's side as a call was picked up and they were greeted by the same voice as last time, causing Wheeljack to shudder.

“Ahhh, You've finally called, please, reveal to me how the beautiful Vespiaphose is within your host” A calm voiced trailed through the computer, still shrouded by shadow.

Wheeljack slowly stood up on unsteady pedes, his derma flashed violets as he paraded his overfilled frame in front of the screen, rubbing meticulously at the large swell stuffed full of eggs, he felt humiliated as he heard clapping through the screen. He was hardly able to stand and yet they cheered at his disgusting predicament, all optics focused on the moving orbs trapped within his plates as they attempted to crawl their way out between them. Wheeljack gritted his denta, biting down on his glossa until he tasted energon, trying to remain stoic despite everything.

“Magnificent! Marvellous! By the looks of the plates and lowered carry, you're certainly due to pop at any moment! You certainly look positively exquisite when you carry, all Cybertronians should be breeders rather than fighters.” The voice cooed, Wheeljack felt disgusted listening to it's drivel.

“I'm sure that the scientist there has mentioned you are to be documented and filmed during the birth, they have also sent me all of the photos and internal scans of them, the reward you gain will be plentiful” The voice said seductively, causing Wheeljack to shudder again, he swore this was like some kind of fetish for them.

“Do I get any idea of what it is?” Wheeljack demanded, very aware that his ferocity was quashed by his comically round frame.

“What you Cybertronians value most, coordinates for a few large energon mines left by my people, energon cubes and some surprise goodies, I do hope this petty war will end in the next year, I'm a busy individual so I'll run along, we'll send someone down to collect the eggs a day or two after they are birthed, they will also hand you your reward, goodbye.” The voice was condescending towards Wheeljack and left a bad taste in his mouth. 

Just a few words and he was humiliated infront of all and to add insult, the brood began to violently shift and push down. He swore for a solid minute they were contractions and internally begged that they weren't, no way he was giving birth to these things in front of this audience. Eventually he took a seat and they began to calm down, he vented in relief stroking at the brood in an attempt to quiet them... they were certainly ready to emerge at any time. His frame filled with severe paranoia and disgust.

When he took his seat he straddled the swell containing the brood, keeping fluids from welling in his optics as the others all met his grotesque frame, judging it, he knew it. Ratchet moved close and hugged him tightly, not caring for all the curious stares that burned them.

“DISMISSED” Optimus bellowed prematurely, but he knew that the two bots would be better without an audience, everyone complied and congregated just outside to finish up the meeting leaving the two to their own devices.

“I don't want to do this Ratchet, I just want them out... please get them out of me!” Wheeljack shoved his helm into Ratchet's chassis, fluids leaking from his optics.

“I know Jackie... I know... but we're almost through it...just gotta pu-”

“I don't want to Ratch!...please don't make me...please...” Wheeljack sobbed.

“I know... I wish this could be different... c'mon, let's go back to our berth... someone wants to play with their sire” Ratchet whispered sweetly, he wished he could do more, by the Allspark he did, but for today all he could offer was his love and that of their little one... 

Wheeljack nodded, Ratchet grabbed him and aided him in his walk back to their berth. The striped mech could hardly stay standing without leaning on him, he was far too large and heavy, he was ripe and ready to bust. Ratchet knew it would be any day now, his own anxiety filled his frame.

When they got back, it was best to cleanse. Ratchet heaved up whatever was in his fuel tanks down the drain as Wheeljack leant against the wall of their cleansing area. Ratchet felt disgusted doing it in front of his bond, but when his optics met, the striped mech simply shot a smile back reciting that it's fine and that he'd better get used to it.

After, Wheeljack played with their sparkling. Ratchet observed his bond's frame and the tell-tale signs that their emergence was close. Ratchet hoped that he was ready for it himself as well. For the next week or so, he would have to play the waiting game with his bond, he hoped he didn't need to carry them any longer than was needed. Ratchet also hoped his nausea would calm down, but in the meantime he'd simply shove medication down his intake to stop it.

 

Wheeljack was already three days overdue, he remembered that as soon as he counted day fifty and his anxiety and paranoia stopped him from exiting their berth, he remembered sitting there alone and crying. The second day he was anxious too but he needed to try clearing his processors and walked laps around the base until he tired, in unbearable pain for the entirety.

The third day he spent walking around the base when he could, Ratchet was busier than usual because of Starscream and Wheeljack had to admit he'd been pushing him away himself. Most of Ratchet's days were working, and recharging occasionally he'd go for a drive. Wheeljack's however were less interesting and he hardly had the strength to walk, finding himself venting deeply and leaning on the walls to stay upright when he did. Perceptor often seemed to have trouble with him because of his lack of ability to stay upstanding and he could tell that his own condition was making the bot uncomfortable with what was asked of him.

On day fifty- four, Wheeljack went on his stroll around the base, however, his frame felt different, he felt a strange pressure in his lower abdomen. At first he paid no mind to it, the brood were always being particularly irritating lately, along with more aches than usual in his back strut and mid, but not enough to warrant any complaint yet, however, they made him extremely tired and he decided to retire earlier than his usual.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Closer...


	28. Chapter 28

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things are occurring, why does the Cat write such things they ask?

Wheeljack felt a little upset that Ratchet had needed to go into Med early, he felt a tinge of jealously that Starscream got to see him more than he did for the past week. Their sparkling was surprisingly well behaved and Ratchet's nausea had been on and off and mostly caused him to purge everything in his tanks in the morning. Wheeljack assumed that Ratchet was loading himself up with medicine to alleviate it, but he knew that if he did it too much it would become suspicious. 

The pre frame building, protoform and early stages created extreme nausea for some bots, Ratchet must be one of them. Wheeljack hoped it wouldn't be so bad he'd need a drip. They also needed to watch their energon intake as after this it would go back to their previous rations and that would leave Ratchet with barely anything for his own frame after their sparkling sapped it up. Ratchet's continued purging would be an even bigger problem then.

Wheeljack felt particularly angry about his absence as he was due days ago but nothing has been happening, bar from a little extra pain and pressure yesterday afternoon and the night, which he assumed meant it was getting closer. The pain began to get stronger but Wheeljack needed to wait for Perceptor to do his diagnosis, if it persisted perhaps he'd bring it to Ratchet, currently he felt angry at him. He knew he shouldn't be angry because Ratchet was doing his job with First Aid assisting, he also knew that he needed to care for him more.

Perceptor walked in with the usual supplies, he seemed quite tired this morning as he set up for photos. Wheeljack had difficulty standing up with the extra pain and with all the shifting the brood were doing, it was really beginning to do him in. He wanted to get some work done, he promised he would after he was ready, which he was meant to be days ago. He was livid that his plans had been post-phoned and certainly wished not to wait any longer, he needed a way to convince Prime to attack the Cons before Ratchet began to show.

“You seem a little on edge” Perceptor asked worriedly.

“Oh it can't possibly be because I was expectin' this over already, I have work to do and I need it done four days ago, Perceptor” Wheeljack retorted snappily, the pain was starting to become more prevalent and irritating, Perceptor's presence certainly wasn't any help.

“Why are you in such a rush? What do you even need to do?” Perceptor asked as he snapped the photos, trying not to take Wheeljack too personally.

“I need to prove that the portal is safe, we'll need it as soon as it can happen” Wheeljack said with annoyance.

“It'll take months more of tests for Prime to approve it, ontop of that we'll need to build something that isn't a prototype and we'll need more resources allocated to it... Prime however cannot allocate them” Perceptor said, watching Wheeljack's derma scrunch up.

“I need it done within two months Percy” Wheeljack said, venom leaking from denta.

“But why? Does this have something to do with Ratchet's condition?” Perceptor said, he did notice Ratchet had been acting strange and seemed to scratch at his chamber.

“Ugh....nevermind... I've been having more pains than usual, I hope these pieces of scrap are coming out soo-”

Wheeljack felt a deep throbbing ache along his lower back strut and mid, he clutched at it, grunting, moaning and venting deeply until it passed.

“That looked like it hurt” Perceptor responded, observing the bots's reactions as well as the flashes from his finials from the sudden shudder.

“Sooner rather than later” Wheeljack finished, he shooed Perceptor away as he tried to pry more, ignoring all was said, he needed to walk, he needed to walk, he needed to walk.

Wheeljack tried walking around the base as the pain got more intense. He needed to go to his lab and get stuff done... he needed to do it for Ratchet. When he got close to his lab he lost his stability as a wave of intense indescribable pain shook his frame. It began at his backstrut and mid and bellowed through his frame and cramped his thighs. He vented heavily feeling the wave crash his systems and cause him to let out a loud pained moan.

Wheeljack felt a wetness between his thighs and swiped digits between them. Light pink and blue liquids decorated his digit, his optics widened and his venting deepened as another wave of agony filled his frame causing him to scream and clutch at his mid. Feeling orbs shift and move he looked down, watching as the individual shapes shifted and stirred, desperately squabbling downward to their eventual emergence, no regards for his shape and form. He could see their largeness, the size of Ratchet's closed servos. Wheeljack began to panic and sob uncontrollably as another wave of excruciation filled him and the brood attempted to push open his plating, unable to wait their turn at his opening as he was screaming out for help on deaf audials, he needed his bond... his Ratchet, these things were going to rip him open.

Wheeljack attempted to get through to anybody listening screaming in excruciating agony, weeping as each pulse sent shock and disgust through his frame, he felt powerless, unable to walk. An egg was shoving it's way downward, but he wasn't ready or wide enough to allow it to pass. Wheeljack screamed again but this time he heard a voice on the other side of his comms, Ratchet's.

“Jackie! Jackie please are you ok?” Ratchet's voice sounded concerned, Wheeljack teared up.

“I'm.... they're coming....they're coming now I....can't walk.....it hurts too much please make it stop...help me! Help me please, help me” Wheeljack cried between screams of agony and sobbing.

“WHAT, where are you? WHERE!” Ratchet was frantic.

“Near... oh no....no please no.... lab-ooh!” Wheeljack panicked as the egg tried to force itself through his still too sealed callipers. He didn't know what to do, he wasn't ready, he thought he was, but he wasn't.

“Wheeljack, how long have you been in labour for? I'm heading to you now, hold on” Ratchet said, trying to keep calm.

“I don't know and- HOLD ON! RATCHET HURRY YOUR AFT UP- AHH!” Wheeljack screamed angrily, feeling the egg hold itself at his exit, he tried to focus on his venting and lightly push, but nothing was happening, he certainly wasn't dilated enough yet. He didn't realise that his panels had slid open until he pressed digits inside to gauge it, he felt the seal and could only place four digits. he took a deep intake, he was opening so wide but wasn't wide enough yet. He was in a puddle of his own energon, he hoped he wasn't haemorrhaging, at his discoveries his panic began to rise.

'Please, please don't let me offline like this... anyway or anything else... not like this' Wheeljack said to himself sobbing as he felt the puddle under his aft spread and the agonising contraction rip apart his callipers more, slowly, so agonisingly slowly causing them to continue to spiral apart.

“Don't push yet Jackie, just sit tight till I get you, I've notified Aid and Perceptor... Marissa will be present too” Ratchet added.

“Sit tight...real jokester, hope ya got snacks for everyone...and I’ve got no choice right now” Wheeljack said cynically, he found it hard to not push as his frame screamed at him to do so.

“Just vent Wheeljack, ok, intake....exhale, expel...intake....exhale, expel...c'mon Jackie let me hear you, nice and loud” Ratchet said, trying to get his bond to focus on something else, he was nearing him, he could hear his screams of agony and his spark ached, not only from the sound, but from Wheeljack's own confused spark, which mourned for it's lack of connection. Their sparkling grew restless and concerned for it's sire, screeching within his chassis, Ratchet assured that he'd be ok, the sparkling trusted it's carrier... Ratchet just hoped he trusted himself.

Wheeljack tried to follow Ratchet's advice but his contractions got worse as every second passed waiting for him, the puddle he was sitting in spread further, which caused him to panic more. Wheeljack let out a terrible harrowing cry as he felt a particularly bad ache ripple through him. In the corner of his optic he spied Perceptor, who ran his way.

“Primus Wheeljack, Ratchet will be here soon, but we gotta get you to Medical, I need you to try walking” Perceptor said calmly as he wrapped his arm underneath Wheeljack, the bot in agony as his frame shuddered and finials flashed.

“WALK! They're fraggin coming now and my legs are cramping bad! I can't you fraggin glitchhead – ARGH!.” Wheeljack heaved as more pain travelled through his frame.

Perceptor rubbed at Wheeljack's servo, attempting to comfort him, ignoring his remarks. Perceptor didn't have the strength to hold him like this, Ratchet on the other hand, Wheeljack was easy for him to quite literally toss about. Loud steps were heard coming closer as Ratchet finally appeared, he checked him over and looked at his valve.

“Ratchet.... I'm so glad you're here....OHH, they're coming...please don't make me have them in this hallway” Wheeljack begged.

“I'm gonna move you soon, you're not fully dilated yet either.... you're about three quarters through...when did you start feeling the pains?” Ratchet placed his servo over his bond's exposed equipment to cover it, his other servo rubbed at his chassis.

“I had some pains yesterday afternoon and night...but I assumed it was normal... guess I misjudged... huh... wait.... what do you mean not fully dilated I can feel one squirming it's way down!” Wheeljack complained, he was preparing himself for movement between his next pains.

“Jackie... that was the beginning of labour and I believe the brood is ready but your frame isn't, remember, if there was a sparkling there'd be more 'communication' to your frame,... this liquid.... it's not energon from your body... it's an agent to help pushing the brood easier...” Ratchet assessed, thankful it wasn't his own, he noticed Wheeljack vent in relief too.

“Alright, one....two... three.” Ratchet heaved Wheeljack into his servos and headed to Medical. Perceptor followed behind him, making sure to not slip in the juices that leaked out of Wheeljack, noting down the information in his pad as it came.

Wheeljack moaned in pain with every hit that travelled through his frame, hearing his bond's cries of agony and seeing the flashes from his finials with them made Ratchet all the more concerned. The sparkling sent out pulses to help calm Ratchet, Wheeljack could feel them faintly himself.

Ratchet crashed through the doors and placed Wheeljack carefully on a table. First Aid holding Marissa followed after Perceptor into the room and locked it behind him. Any bot who injured themselves would have to wait. 

“Hows he going?” First Aid asked as he gathered medication and painkillers, they weren't able to access proper medication for birth because of the lack of the materials they needed, but they managed to make do with one that might help, if it didn't, then they'd need to whip up something different for Starscream, who both bots were yelled at to make sure he had pain medication for. Wheeljack had a good tolerance himself, but the brood would certainly put him to the test. Ratchet checked his bond to see how it was coming along, he'd be in this position in a year, he swallowed when he noticed his bond's callipers widen, the thought of his own doing the same hit his processor causing him to gulp whatever was in his mouth down his intake and grip his mid as he felt his valve clench.

“Not dilated just yet... getting there... but we have to wait” Ratchet said shakily, images of himself in labour torturing his circuits.

“There's gotta be something to speed the process up in there, surely you've made something” Wheeljack complained, gritting denta, he was pissed off and in agony, he really, really wanted them out.

“We didn't have the materials to create something that would work... also we don't have a proper 'epidural'” Ratchet said.

“FRAGGIN FRAAAAAG!” Wheeljack yelled, part irritated and the rest because of a huge burst of pain, it was getting more prominent and worse every minute.

“We'll need more materials... we've got another four or so months for Starscream... hopefully we can find more” First Aid brought up.

“OH! so Starscream will get an epidural? You'll get one? AND I GET PAIN” Wheeljack yelled, anger rising with every contraction.

“What's he talking about?” Perceptor and Marissa asked simultaneously. 

“Wheeljack, I know you're in pain but if you don't shut your trap, you're pushing them out on your own and he's... just loopy from contractions right now, ignore it” Ratchet said, turning to Perceptor for the last sentence hoping Wheeljack wouldn't blow their cover, Perceptor and Marissa weren't aware yet.

Wheeljack gripped at the table and moaned in agony, finials flashing violently, his legs thrashing as he felt pulses becoming more and more agonising and their timing getting shorter and shorter.

“Ratchet...if you don't get these things out of me right now...I'm...I'm gonna OH FRAGGIT-” Wheeljack felt intense pain, pressure and wetness, he needed to push NOW!

“He's fully dilated! Everyone get ready!” Ratchet said, he grabbed his bonds servo between his own, allowing him to squeeze at it.

“Are you really going to make me handle the eggs?” First Aid complained.

“No, Perceptor is going to and Marissa is just here to observe” Ratchet said.

“But I have to record and... they're all covered in-”

“Percy, I don't care, you can do two things and they're your jurisdiction, now grab some gloves and something to put them in, suck it up and get ready” Ratchet demanded.

“I hate this, I hate this, I hate this, I hate this” Wheeljack mumbled between the contractions.

Ratchet directed Wheeljack to an appropriate position, making sure that he was comfortable enough. Wheeljack laid on his back and opened his thighs wide, feeling the cold air assault his quivering valve. A cushion was placed underneath his aft to aid in posture, one servo gripped his bond and the other held on tight to the underside of the table.

“Ok Jackie, you gotta start pushing, deep intakes and expelling, remember timing, one, two, three, push” Ratchet said calmly, feeling his servo squeeze lightly as the striped mech began to push. Ratchet could see the strain on his derma, his finials blinking and the agony he was in, engine revving loudly with each exertion of force. He tried not to let it get to him and stayed in professional practice mode.

“Stop, you can't go too long or far or you'll tear! Squeeze my servo as hard as you need, I'm here” Ratchet said as he noticed his conduct, comforting him.

Wheeljack nodded, fluids dripped from his optics “Have you got anything for the pain?” he didn't need to prove anything, he wanted these parasites out and every second birthing them was torture comparable to times he was being held a prisoner of the Cons.

“Aid, hit him with that makeshift stuff” Ratchet demanded, First Aid responded quickly, injecting it into the base of Wheeljack's lower backstrut.

“This stuff isn't as strong as the usual and may wear off quickly, the IV we have connected has also given you some of that energon from the planet, which should help a little...” First Aid informed, Perceptor looked at Wheeljack's valve and covered his mouth at it's widened state, gagging at the appearance.

“I think it's.... I can see it” Perceptor informed, looking away and nearly purging his energon reserves.

Wheeljack squeezed at Ratchet's hand and started pushing again, finials flashing and engine roaring as he vented carefully. It was less painful but he still felt it, he was afraid of the liquid running out and feeling the full brunt of the pain.

“You're doing great Jackie, keep pushing, don't overdo it” Ratchet felt his servo being crushed, it was a good thing.

“It's out, the first one is out” First Aid said, Perceptor held it in his servos, a purple pinkish blue marbled orb was held between them, it was slightly translucent and covered in liquids.

“One down twelve to go... keep going Jackie, this is a good pace, gotta take it slow” Ratchet said, his bond's moans were low until the next egg took it's place, when it reached his callipers he began to scream loud as it forced them open.

“One... twelve more....at least they have give” Wheeljack told himself, trying to keep venting and pushing when Ratchet directed. 

He tried to keep his pain to a minimum, but it was becoming unbearable, he sobbed at the thought that all this effort, was for these things. He sobbed when he pictured what his sparkling might look like, but what he was birthing... he shoved it out of his processor, it would only worsen this, Ratchet had theirs, he would see it in just under twelve months, their little one and in future he'd birth a little one from his own frame.

“Second is out, it's still gonna take a bit at this rate, roughly around twenty minutes for each, with five or less minutes rest I hypothesise, thank goodness for whatever this liquid is, it's assisting, messy, but it helps” First Aid said.

“Keep going Jackie...C'mon” Ratchet said, his servo beginning to ache.

Wheeljack eventually pinpointed that it hurt most as the egg was pushing it's way out around the third. Keeping a steady rhythm as Ratchet vented and revved his own engine lightly to help him along as he continued slowly and painfully pushing each egg out one by one. Counting as they exited, four...five...six, the same thing he did when they were being implanted into him. He was beginning to feel the painkillers start to wear off at the seventh egg, which refused to exit his valve, he whined at it's presence.

“Jackie stop! You're gonna tear or snap a line, stop pushing!” Ratchet insisted, Wheeljack continued until he felt an immense pain inside his valve, causing him to shriek louder than before between his moans of suffering.

“Ratchet! He snapped something” First Aid notified as Perceptor gritted his denta.

“Ratchet... it hurts ...oh....oh...oh please...please just get out of me!” Wheeljack moaned and sobbed fluids leaking from his optics as he was forcing the egg out.

“I know it does but you're almost there, keep going, in, out, in, out...there we go, I'll make sure you get through this, but make sure to listen to me or you'll risk more damage” Ratchet whispered into the tired bot's audials, he could see the exhaustion in his frame, finials flashing slower, he could hear his engine calming and his fans whirring, it had been roughly around two and half hours of pushing, everyone was getting tired, there were still five to go.

“Ratch... I don't think I can do this anymore....please just let me rest...I don't want to do this anymore, make it stop, please just make it stop” Wheeljack cried, his derma was violet, fluids oozed from his optics and drool from his mouth, his frame was hot to the touch and was severely overheated, his fans weren't enough and his coolant was reaching critical lows while his engine was beginning to idle. Ratchet could see the bot was drifting into recharge, he couldn't allow that, Ratchet bit his glossa and made a decision, the decision of a doctor.

“First Aid, I need a stimulant injected stat and more coolant, pump the strong stuff into him” Ratchet demanded, he could see Wheeljack struggling to keep his frame cool and fading into shutdown, he couldn't allow it to happen, he also couldn't allow him to rest, these eggs needed out and forceps or a sucking tool could not be used as it would risk a rupture or damage to the squishy brood.

“Got it.” First Aid quickly left and came back as fast as he could manage. 

Ratchet left Wheeljack clutching at the table he was on, wincing as he connected the IVs. First Aid returned with a large needle, injecting it into a creak on the outside of a spread thigh. Wheeljack reacted quickly to the shot, feeling all his energy return as his fans whirred, his finials flashed bright and his engine roared.

“It just doesn't end does it Ratchet? I can't wait till I see you here next year, you... you- oh OH-” Wheeljack felt the egg press and push through, it was time to restart, rest was not an option, they needed out. Wheeljack sat himself slightly higher, pushing his thighs even wider as he pushed his mid out, hopefully this position would coax them out quicker, Ratchet aided in keeping his frame upright for it.

“And you can put me through hell then, now shut up, save your energy and keep pushing dammit!” Ratchet bellowed, feeling Wheeljack's tightening grip on his servo as the eighth egg squirmed it's way through his valve.

“Ratchet, what is he talking about?” Perceptor asked.

“It doesn't matter, he's in pain, he's just talking out of his exhaust, focus on those eggs Percy” Ratchet replied, at this point he hardly cared if anybody knew he was sparked, It was beginning to take up space in his chassis and push into his own spark, it wouldn't be long now until his chassis began to warp to accustom it's size, a few weeks he hypothesised.

“Ratchet... can we get back to helping me push these fraggin slaggers out please” Wheeljack said venomously as he noticed Ratchet's optics wander, causing Ratchet to snap out of it.

Wheeljack felt the egg take it's place, there were no more painkillers in his system, only the coolant from the IV and energon which hardly helped to ease the pain he felt when they opened him so widely. There were hardly any words to describe the awful disgusting feeling when liquid oozed out behind them. Sure it made them slippery, but it spread further and further as he continued and he could hear it drip all over the floor. He hated sitting in it but he still had four more to go.

“Marissa's been quiet hasn't she?” Perceptor asked, he stared at the small human, her amber eyes wide in shock.

“I...I...I...” She was at a loss for words, Perceptor giggled at her.

“Hey, giving birth here, shut the frag up and let me concentrate” Wheeljack snapped, he'd been here for three hours now and just wanted it to be over now.

“Wheeljack, stop pushing so hard, you'll break another-” Ratchet began.

“JUST GET THEM OUT OF ME SLAGGIT” Wheeljack shouted, he felt a calliper snap and screamed in response, luckily the egg came out as he did. Three more...only three more...

“Wheeljack...”First Aid saw more energon leaking than there should be, he hoped this would be over soon.

“Jackie... you have to be careful, you'll lose too much energon... I can't lose you because of this... we need you” Ratchet whispered into audials, the sparkling was growing impatient, it didn't understand why it's sire was screaming and hurting. Ratchet tried to send signals to it, but it kept sending out pulses, Ratchet needed it to quiet so he could concentrate.

“Thank's little guy, I'll be fine, I'm in good servos” Wheeljack whispered to it, nuzzling into Ratchet's chassis, causing Perceptor and Marissa to stare perplexity at him until the next egg took it's place, ripping him open all over again causing more strained moans to exit his vocals.

“Take it slowly Wheeljack, please don't push too hard, you've already damaged a calliper and a line” Ratchet said, worry in his vocals, he still had three more plus whatever else needed to be ejected.

“Ok...I'll do it your way” Wheeljack said, venting deeply, engine revving, and finials flashing as he grunted with every push, his energy was sapped, but he was so close... then he could rest.

“That's it, that's it, here it is, come on Jackie, two more now, you're doing amazing, won't be long now, you can do this” Ratchet singsonged into Wheeljack's audials, perking the bot up.

Wheeljack was finally getting through this horrible ordeal, every time one egg left, he felt filth leave with it, the twelfth egg moved itself into his canal and tore it's way through as it attempted to snap another calliper which buckled while it exited, taking a line with it as the juices began to dry up. It was getting harder to push them out, he was finally on his last, unlucky thirteenth.

“Jackie... you broke another one” Ratchet said, as First Aid informed him.

“Just....just one more.....then I can rest? Ratchet... I love...” Wheeljack was beginning to fade, Ratchet couldn't hit him with another shot, he kept him awake best he could by squeezing at his servo.

“Push slaggit, push, just one more, get it out” Ratchet boomed, Wheeljack shook in response to both Ratchet's loud noise and the tearing feeling as the last egg ripped open his callipers, breaking yet another.

Wheeljack laid back down, engine quieting and venting heavily, ”it's over.... it's over... finally.”

“Jackie, we still got a bit left” Ratchet got up and began pushing down on his mid. It had deflated since ejecting them, although, it was still lose. It would take some time before his plates snapped back into place. Ratchet was looking forward to being able to see his bond again, the one who didn't hate every second of life, the one who sped everywhere he went and was full of energy, his self-proclaimed 'sleek sexy speeder', he wanted to trace over his slender, lovely frame again.

“Ratchet? Ratchet it hurts please” Wheeljack moaned.

“Push Jackie, you gotta get this stuff out, just a little more” Ratchet insisted pushing down hard, he knew this part was easier, messier, but easier.

“I've cleaned up all the eggs, they're over in the incubator in the lab, information says that their optimal temp is around forty degrees Celsius, WPC will be here tomorrow” Perceptor said, Ratchet hardly realised he'd left his post. 

“Thanks Percy, but we're still here, he's pushed one of the sacs out, just one more and a load of jelly, then he'll be ok” First Aid said as he watched Perceptor gag while taking the samples, making sure the recording device was still in place.

“I'll be writing down notes after I store these” Perceptor replied.

“You can help me clean this mess up after it's gone” First Aid said, Perceptor wasn't happy, but accepted it.

“Almost there....theeere we go, all out...” Ratchet rubbed at Wheeljack's servo, the poor little mech was exhausted and began slipping into recharge, he needed it.

“You did amazing Jackie... they're all gone... no more... it's over” Ratchet continued nuzzling at the exhausted mechs derma.

Perceptor grabbed his camera and snatched up the last sac, almost heaving as he did, he would store it all for the Wildlife Protection Committee, they probably didn't need or care for Wheeljack after, but Perceptor would stay until he was dismissed to support his friends.

“Ratchet... I love you so much...you too little one... I hope to see you...” Wheeljack's vocals were faint and forced, Ratchet kissed him on his forehelm, there was a moment of peace for both of them.

“Ratchet!.... Ratchet! He's haemorrhaging, the bleeding won't stop...” First Aid panicked.

“Get him more energon in his line, I'll administer the meds and fix the torn lines and callipers, I'm not losing him” Ratchet said, his tone was snappy, filled with anxiety, he was worried for his bond.

'Please Jackie, we can't lose you, don't make me raise our little one alone' he said softly.

“Administering energon Ratchet” First Aid assured as Ratchet injected medicine and local anaesthetic to reconnect lines, he wouldn't be able to have penetrative interfacing for a few weeks... it wasn't a concern for Ratchet, Wheeljack might complain, but Ratchet knew his own frame would need to be penetrated and filled more anyway. He shook the thought away, this was serious, he hated the shifts the carry had brought him.

“Repaired, the bleedings stopped, thank Primus...” Ratchet said, clutching his chassis as his own spark and his sparkling screamed as they felt Wheeljack fading.

“His energon still isn't stabilising, Ratchet he's fading fast, you'll need to do a transfusion...but...” First Aid said, he looked at Ratchet's chassis and gritted his denta, “It will be difficult to determine for the two of you how much you need yourself”

“No choice, I'm sure this one will be fine with it too” Ratchet said, getting the equipment, he'd need to be absolutely perfect with the amount or risk his own frame. His bond and his sparkling were his priority, if he gave too much and had to go into stasis lock to sustain his little spark, he'd gladly do it.

“Ratchet...are you...carrying?” Perceptor butted in, he already suspected it, but this sealed it.

“Yes... no point hiding it from you aye Percy... but nobody else can know...scrap the human, I forgot she was here...” Ratchet replied, jabbing a needle into his arm, Marissa had been so quiet while observing all of this, he forgot she was there, he noticed her cover her open mouth.

“Secret is safe.... how far along?” Perceptor pried.

“Around twenty-five days...almost one Earth month” Ratchet replied, keeping watch of the monitors, he needed to sit for around four minutes, at least their prying kept him calm.

“How?” Perceptor asked, realising how dumb it sounded.

“Forgot to swap out bolts...and I want to keep it.” Ratchet was trying to focus on giving Wheeljack just enough while keeping his own at optimum too. 

“That... doesn't sound like a mistake you'd make.... can I see it?” Perceptor said, he hadn't seen a sparkling in so long so he was impatient, he'd wanted to be like what the humans described as a god parent if his friends ever had one, he was overly excited.

“After this, you can look at it too Marissa, but there's to be no published reports... nobody else can find out yet” Ratchet replied, he was annoyed, they were really bad at keeping this a secret. If Prime found out, Ratchet was more annoyed at the idea of him lecturing him more than anything... most likely he wouldn't report him to the higher ups... at least he hoped he wouldn't, their close friendship had to amount for something.

“Of course, definitely not right now...So who knows?” Perceptor asked.

“First Aid, Wheeljack of course, Skyfire, Starscream and now you and Marissa... knowing my luck the twins are next...” Ratchet complained.

“If they cut off your energon... I'll sneak you some of mine, I don't use a lot and have extra, they don't give me low grade garbage either, I hope it'll help...it's the least I could do” Perceptor said lowly.

“Thanks Percy, I just hope I don't go purging it all... ok right now I need to concentrate” Ratchet said, watching the levels, making sure there was enough for each of them. He succeeded in the appropriate dosage for both of them, he vented in relief.

Wheeljack eventually stabilised and everyone in the room felt relief, even the sparkling was calm until all was clear and Wheeljack was left to rest and recover. First Aid, Perceptor, Ratchet and even Marissa helped clean up, Marissa doing what she could and Ratchet sponging down his bond while he was in recharge. Ratchet revelled in his bond, finally free of the parasites within him, he rested a servo on his chassis and kissed his derma.

When everything was clean Ratchet took a seat and leaned back, opening his chassis up to show the light that resided within, the sparkling wanted to get a glimpse of the outside so was happy to see it.

“Sire.... Sire will be ok?” It asked through Ratchet's spark.

'Yes.... Sire will be fine and much happier now, he'll make a full recovery' Ratchet sent to it, the little one reacted with soothing and happy pulses, making Ratchet smile a genuine smile.

“It's massive for twenty-five days” Perceptor noted, carefully sticking in a digit, the sparkling surprisingly not attacking it and instead cuddling up to it, possibly because it was still shaken from his sire's pain.

“Yeah... it's gonna be a big one...” Ratchet replied, allowing Marissa to step into a servo as he held her near his chassis.

“So... so this is your spark and this is your baby?” Marissa asked, she began to reach for it but Ratchet pulled her away.

“Yes and yes, the word is sparkling by the way... and I wouldn't touch it if I were you, it might electrocute you... usually sparks are encased in a spark chamber, but you see mine's completely open, see this bit here closes and keeps it safe, it expands if needed and pushes the chassis out to accommodate growth” Ratchet said to her pointing as he did, she was enamoured with what was before her.

“I see... so beautiful” She replied, watching the smaller one orbit and rub against the larger one, she never knew such beauty resided in these bots, the sparks appeared to be dancing balls of light.

“I think it's gonna be bigger than your own” Perceptor mused, he pulled his digit away when it became too feisty.

“Yeah... it's already a handful, gonna be worse down the track when his frame is built and his spark melds to it, Primus I’m not looking forward to that” Ratchet mused.

“I bet it's gonna be kicking and making a big fuss. Right now, you're creating the protoform, you'll start to show in a month or so...maybe less” Perceptor informed.

“I know that Percy, but we'll deal with that later, better go handle the eggs, I think I'm gonna stay here with Jackie, Marissa, go with Perceptor” Ratchet said, he watched them leave as First Aid entered, nobody needed assistance luckily.

“I'll tend to the both of you for the rest of tonight” First Aid said.

“It's been so long... Primus... I'm so glad they're finally out, once Wheeljack's made a full recovery, I promise to take him for a drive, or even race” Ratchet said.

“You race? Right now you need rest too” First Aid insisted, he placed a digit into Ratchet's chamber and the sparkling cuddled up towards it, it was thanking him for helping his sire. First Aid revealed the soft features that hid behind his visor and facemask as he cooed at it.

“I used to race a lot more, I'm faster and more agile than I look, you know that.” Ratchet was mildly offended.

“Raced in Uni yes, I know you're fast, It's just that... I didn't think it was still your thing” First Aid responded.

“Only sometimes, I'm feeling pretty tired, I might recharge for tonight... closing my panels, get any digits out or lose em” Ratchet responded grumpily.

“Ok, rest easy” First Aid said, tending to Wheeljack, the striped mech had done so well, he deserved the rest, this horrible predicament was finally over, but there was still work to do and Wheeljack's schedule was certainly halted by it, the mechanic would be glad to get back to work and tend to his sparked bond, Ratchet certainly wouldn't admit he'd need his tending though.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> End of the first Act, finally free, now lets focus on getting a happy ending for our lot.


	29. Chapter 29

“Hey Ratchet... finally out...hehe” Wheeljack said softly as Ratchet's optics began to water from grogginess.

“Yeah... but you're stuck here for a little while to recover, we have to monitor your condition” Ratchet said strained, his tank screaming for sustenance, his mid ached and his spark stung. He looked down at his chassis and vented in relief, no show yet, he growled and pushed his achy frame up onto his equally aching pedes, groaning as he got to them.

“Can you get me something too? Arrgh my valve....” Wheeljack's vocals were filled with static and cut occasionally as he spoke, he poked and rubbed at his stretched mid, it was still bloated from the aftermath. He knew it would deflate back to it's previous state eventually although his hips and thighs were permanent, he'd have to wait to see if he liked them. Wheeljack's valve burned from the damage done to it, Ratchet could see it clearly on his derma.

“Yeah... I got it” Ratchet replied as he clutched his mid and hunched as he walked to the energon storage while Wheeljack watched his bond struggle to walk over and get it. Wheeljack would have grabbed it himself but his whole frame ached from his mid to his pedes and he was connected to a line that was supplying coolant. He was glad that the sick feeling and constant presence was finally ejected from him. Both bots were in no shape to do anything today except recover.

Ratchet walked awkwardly while holding the cubes, placing one on the table and handing the other to Wheeljack who sat up, refusing to close his aching thighs which were splayed open. Ratchet rubbed a thickened thigh as Wheeljack took the cube. As he sipped Ratchet kissed at the inside of it nuzzling it and purring his engine.

“You're so beautiful... I'm glad this is over... I love you so much” Ratchet said softly but not so much Wheeljack couldn't hear it.

“I do too... why so touchy all of a sudden?” Wheeljack questioned as he sipped at the savoury taste of the energon Ratchet had picked for him.

“I... I just love you... and I was worried you were gonna bleed out yesterday...I'm so sorry you had to go through that...I didn't want to be left alone... I didn't want our little one to grow up without a sire...I'm scared Wheeljack what if... what if I'm not ready... You know what the others think of me, what if I'm like that... ” Ratchet said sobbing, his processor overworking itself as his carry was finally daunting on him, thoughts running wild.

“Ratchet... I'm not ready either but who is really, this is going to be something that's trial and error for both of us and I know how scared you were yesterday, I know how scared you are now and I don't ever see you like this... I was scared too, I couldn't leave you two on your own...and Ratchet, you know they only experience your doctor side, the real you is caring, loving and always puts themselves last... you're just a little rough around the edges is all...” Wheeljack said sweetly, feeling much better after sipping energon, he stroked Ratchet's helm with his servos and kissed his derma, noticing his features soften.

“I love you so much” Ratchet said, smiling through glazed optics, it was a rare sight to see the large ambulance cry, it always hurt Wheeljack to see it, but he always smiled afterwards, his smile was so luminous through tears, it was so beautiful but so rarely shown.

“You're not doing this alone, I'm here too, if you need anything just ask” Wheeljack reinforced.

“I know...I'm sorry for making this all about me after you just... but what if Prime finds out” Ratchet's smile faded, he was so soft, so raw right now. He did open up to Wheeljack, but it had been some time since he was this overwhelmed, Wheeljack could plainly see that his carry was really affecting him. 

“Hey it's ok, I'm ok now, those things are gone, you're carrying our sparkling Ratchet, right now I’m more worried for their safety and yours...an' if Prime finds out I'm sure we could talk our way out of anything, with my silver tipped glossa and your cold snark, he'll be putty in our servos” Wheeljack said excitedly.

“I... I know Prime probably won't do anything but this jeopardises everything... what if First Aid can't be here or one of the bots is unwell and I can't treat them because of this... I'm a liability Wheeljack...” Ratchet said panicked.

“Ratchet... it will be fine, I'm sure Prime can work something out with the humans, if we can get my portal to be approved we can back ally some bots here to help us, Ratchet you're not a liability you're one, if not, the best doctor on the Autobots, you've served the longest, I'm sure it's gotta mean somethin'.... look here, I want you to promise something to me.” Wheeljack looked Ratchet directly into his optics, focusing on the pale blue, those beautiful lights that always drew in his own as he waited.

“Promise what.... I don't like promising things before I know them” Ratchet replied anxiously as Wheeljack's stare crippled him, he was serious, his own pale optics drawing in his glare.

“Promise me you'll put your own frame first... please... do it for me.... do for this one” Wheeljack said, placing his servo onto Ratchet's chassis just above his sparkling, the light heat it produced caused the area to feel hotter at the touch, Wheeljack smiled feeling it's warmth.

Ratchet shuddered and sealed the promise as his lips colliding with his bond, pushing into him passionately, moaning into his mouth. As they did it occurred to Ratchet that he hadn't drank his morning energon as his tank screamed at him to be replenished, he pulled away slowly, spittle connected still, venting heavily, Wheeljack whined as he left.

“I... I promise to make sure... for our little one” Ratchet said heaving, he clutched at his chassis feeling the extra heat, wouldn't be much longer before his chassis warped now.

“If you don't... I'm gonna...I'm gonna tell First Aid no pain medication during your labour” Wheeljack teased, he saw Ratchet smile as he took a sip, taking it in slowly.

“Oh really now?” Ratchet questioned.

“Yep, no choice but to take care of your own frame” Wheeljack said.

“Who says I was planning to use pain medication anyway” Ratchet said confidently.

“Oh, just wait till you go through it, although you're having our sparkling... those eggs... yeah that sucked, thank the allspark they've vacated...enjoying the energon?” Wheeljack asked, he tried to push the last two months out of his processor and focus on his bond, he was having his sparkling after all.

“It's the savoury kind, it's good... just hope I can keep it down...” Ratchet said as he felt it crawl up his intake swallowing it as it did.

“I'm worried Ratch... you seem to be purging a lot, are the pills working?.” Wheeljack was worried.

“They are but... if I take them too much they'll stop... I also have to make sure not to over do it just in case of suspicion” Ratchet said, finally finishing the cube and tilting his helm up to try keeping it down, they couldn't afford to keep losing energon.

“Ok, I just... hope you don't develop any issues... this carry seems to be having more of an effect than what would usually occur... seem to be worse than I was with the brood... why don't we just come cle-”

“Not yet... I don't want anybody else to know yet...” Ratchet snapped rubbing at his aching mid.

“Okay... I get it... just...please take care of yourself...” Wheeljack said strained.

“Do you want to see your sparkling.?” Ratchet changed the subject.

“Ratchet... why ask?” Wheeljack said as Ratchet climbed carefully on-top of him, he opened his chassis to reveal his spark and that of their offspring, which was already quite large for it's size as it shoved at his own. It would be bigger than his in future most likely, his mid would protrude with it's developing frame in less than a month, Ratchet was dangerously aware of that. 

Wheeljack carefully placed his derma in, nuzzling at the small spark as it rubbed against him sending soothing pulses, it was so glad to see it's sire and he was so glad to nuzzle his little spark.

“Sire...no longer hurt?” A pulse said.

“No, I'm fine now, sire is ok now and he loves you” Wheeljack said outloud as he grinned at the pokes from the little spark.

Ratchet smiled at the display, Wheeljack's attitude filled his own spark with so much joy, he'd wanted this for so long and finally Ratchet could give him this. He was glad they were getting along, but he felt as if he was not worthy of being a carrier... or even a sire, his demeanour... Ratchet pushed the thoughts away.

First Aid had entered to the sight of the two bots smiling and playing with their offspring. In a time filled with death and destruction, the sight of life warmed First Aid's spark. He had his face in full view and a warm smile glazed it while watching the two bonding, it was beautiful and raw, he'd rarely seen this side of Ratchet. He knew that the two brought out the best in each other despite their differences. First Aid wanted the war to end, he wanted love and he wanted more little sparks around. He couldn't wait to play with their little one when it was birthed.

“Oh, are we looking at your little spark? Can I?” First Aid said excitedly as he reached to poke at it.

“Yeah sure” Wheeljack responded.

“O..Of course” Ratchet shuddered as a pulse hit him, he smiled so luminously that First Aid hardly believed he was the same bot.

“Hey Ratchet, I'm gonna try to convince Prime to let me stay here as your second... not only do I enjoy it here, but... I want to be there for Starscream... and for you.... I can't wait to see this one.” First Aid was patting at it, luckily it wasn't attacking.

“That...that would be helpful thank you” Ratchet replied, he was going to say won't be necessary but Wheeljack gave him the look and he did promise to watch his frame, if not for himself but for their growing sparkling.

“Excellent” First Aid exclaimed, he'd see Prime very soon.

“Ratchet... can you stay with me again tonight? When can I leave this place I want some time with just you” Wheeljack said, causing Ratchet to smirk, he needed a good fragging but he wanted Wheeljack to be ready first.

“Maybe tomorrow... if you can walk... it will take some more time for your mid to tighten again though” Ratchet replied.

“I hope... when are those wildlife people coming?” Wheeljack replied.

“Perceptor said tomorrow they will be here” First Aid informed.

Ok, so I can leave tomorrow I hope?” Wheeljack complained, nodding at Perceptor.

“You should be fine to leave tomorrow, let's just relax for the rest of today together” Ratchet said as First Aid watched.

“Yeah, sounds great” Wheeljack kissed Ratchet.

 

Ratchet felt a wave of nausea hit him and immediately needed to purge, he heaved into the sink letting everything exit his tank, tears filled his optics. It wasn't done yet as he heaved more up choking as it came out wishing that it would end. He groaned after he was finished, making sure to wash the sink down, he just couldn't keep his energon down.

“Ratchet? You doing ok?” Wheeljack called out.

“Just..... blegh, fine” Ratchet called out hoping nothing else would exit his tanks.

“Ok, I'm just worried is all” Wheeljack said.

“I'll be fine... nausea is normal at this stage” Ratchet said grumpily.

“I know... but I'm still worried...” Wheeljack said sombrely.

“Grrr I can't keep doing this... our supplies will be thin again soon and Prime will be suspicious if we use too much...I can't leave the rest of the team without...” Ratchet said irritated wiping his mouth of spittle and purge, feeling revolted by it, a wave of dirty filth filled his frame and he washed his servos with boiling water.

Wheeljack watched as his bond obsessively cleaned his servos as if they were infected with something, Ratchet always hated when his bare servos were dirty. Wheeljack sat up and placed his pedes onto the floor as he slowly lifted himself up. His frame felt sapped of energy as his mid, hips and valve ached...but at least he could stand now. Wheeljack rubbed at his empty mid, it was still bloated but better than when he was carrying as his frame felt lighter.

“Wheeljack I didn't say you could get up yet...” Ratchet exclaimed as he dried his servos.

“You know I never listen Ratch, can I get dismissed?” Wheeljack teased, his smug smirk painted on his derma.

“Well you're up walking so fine, but those internal injuries will take a while to heal, your mid should be back to normal in around two weeks” Ratchet said as he walked over to his bond to disconnect the lines, his frame was producing enough coolant normally now and without a sparkling to care for, he didn't really need too much after care.

“I hope so, but I'm just so glad to be over that... has Percy been around?” Wheeljack asked.

“Not yet but probably soon” Ratchet said as he finished up unplugging everything.

“Let's go see him then” Wheeljack said standing up a little straighter than he'd been in weeks. Ratchet could already see his posture beginning to return, he smiled at the striped bot as he stroked at his bloated mid, it still hurt and no doubt felt uncomfortable. Ratchet began patting at his own in response, feeling no shift in it's shape, he couldn't tell if he was disappointed or thankful.

“Those people will be here today to retrieve those eggs... I believe Perceptor took them into his lab... are you sure about this?” Ratchet asked shakily.

“I think I will be, they're out, we can prevent it from happening again, I'll be fine... I'm more worried for you and our sparkling Ratch... I know it's much earlier than usual but... have you used any imaging on your mid yet?” Wheeljack was rather quick to change the subject, but he seemed excited about an imaging.

“Ok Jackie but any signs and I want you out... we can check on my mid after but there won't be much there, very early stages of building the protoform right now” Ratchet said, it hadn't crossed his mind to do it so early, but Wheeljack was obviously excited so he'd give him that.

As they walked out they spied First Aid who had just been checking in on Starscream. Skyfire was chatting to him outside but neither bot could hear what was said, as the two bots passed they caught the attention of the two.

“Wheeljack? I guess Ratchet gave you the go ahead, nice to see you up, you did fantastic we're all glad you're feeling better” First Aid called out cheerfully.

“Yeah, feels so good ta finally be free ya know, can't wait till we get the go ahead to leave the base” Wheeljack replied, he was much more animated since he could walk.

“I'm happy to hear, I think we all could use a nice drive after the few weeks we've had” First Aid chirped.

“Definitely” Ratchet agreed.

“Although... your condition will make the next year difficult... for all of us Ratchet” First Aid added causing Ratchet to look away as his derma lit up a purplish blue.

“I think Starscream is more in need than I am, focus on him...I'll focus on myself” Ratchet replied, he added that last part when Wheeljack stared daggers at him.

“Make sure you do Ratchet... but I can't limit your shifts anymore or Prime will get suspicious, I'm sure you know that, also, it won't be long now until Starscream will be capable of walking and I'll need your help with the physio... I need rest too” First Aid said, his cheer gone from his vocals.

“I understand Aid... you're a huge help around here and I like having you around, I'm so sorry for putting all this on you... I think with the humans relaxing you may be here more permanently, as we know the Protectobots have other medics themselves and rarely encounter any issues” Ratchet said, sounding as sincere as he could manage, he truly owed First Aid, he helped with the parasites, he'll be helping with Starscream's delivery and was certainly going to be in charge of his own, he was the only bot he trusted to do so.

“It's great to hear it from the grumpy aft himself” First Aid teased, Ratchet smirked, causing First Aid to stagger back.

“Always throws me for a loop whenever you make a face that isn't a frown, a resting bitchface or annoyance Ratch” First Aid jested.

Ratchet's face contorted to annoyance causing First Aid and Wheeljack to laugh, he'd proven them right, even the sparkling was laughing as it sent pulses and slapped at his own spark. Skyfire simply smiled, he was glad to see they were having fun and joking, he hoped that that his own bond's sparklings would be friends with that of Wheeljack's and Ratchet's.

“It's usually around eight and a half/nine months when the spark begins to make it's way down and bond to it's frame right Ratchet?” Skyfire said matter of factly, his bond would be beginning the process soon and a little after the spark was bonded, they'd be able to identify their sire.

“Yeah... you're thinking about identifying them... what happens if they are...” Ratchet didn't want to say his name, he clutched as his chassis, feeling the heated patch from it's forming.

“If that's the case, I will raise them anyway, sparklings are not who they came from, but what we teach them” Skyfire said seriously.

“True words Sky” Wheeljack said, looking up and smiling at the massive jet.

“Well, you mentioned you had to see Percy, I'm going to go back to my bond” Skyfire said as he excused himself.

“I've got work to do, good luck you three” First Aid said as he waved.

Ratchet was thankful no other bot was in the Med bay right now, rarely did they enter anyway outside of needing medical care, Ratchet knew it was because of him, he hoped his own sparkling wouldn't avoid him like the crew did.

Wheeljack grabbed and squeezed at Ratchet's servo, giving him a look of concern, he was starting to realise that he kept spacing out. Ratchet regained his sense of the world and looked down at the smaller striped mech.

“You ok? Ya seem to be off in the clouds a lot lately, even when I was...” Wheeljack looked deep in Ratchet's optics, in his spark he felt his bond's feelings, those of concern, anxiety and uncertainty.

“Just... still coming to grips with this, everything is just so surreal... I'm carrying and... I just... we're gonna have a sparkling Wheeljack it's hard to wrap your helm around that” Ratchet said scratching at his chassis.

“Yeah I know we are... it's crazy... I guess I'm still gripping it too” Wheeljack said as he poked at Ratchet's flat mid.

“I'm not showing yet...” Ratchet groaned.

“I know... just teasing.” Wheeljack smirked as he rubbed, teasing more.

“C'mon we gotta go see Percy” Ratchet playfully grabbed his bond and tossed him over his shoulder, Wheeljack wiggling his winglets, kicking his pedes and giggling, it had been far too long since he'd done this. Ratchet held him carefully so as not to irritate his sore frame.

“You can put me down now Ratchet!” Wheeljack yelled as Ratchet effortlessly carried him through the hall.

“I could...” Ratchet joked, causing Wheeljack to groan.

“I would like to be put down please, we're almost at Percy's lab” Wheeljack exclaimed, Ratchet carefully placed the engineer down just outside the door, he opened it and Ratchet followed.

“Ahh Wheeljack it's nice to see you up and walking, making a rather quick recovery aren't we?” Perceptor chirped as he was observing the eggs in the incubator, Marissa accompanied him.

“Yeah, only cos we got the best medic in the vicinity, First Aid is amazing” Wheeljack teased as he looked at Ratchet, who shot him a glare.

“I guess he's alright too,” Wheeljack giggled as Ratchet swiped his winglet lightly, tracing down to his hip and tickling.

Marissa laughed at their display, both bots seemed very joyous, it was good to see after what she witnessed previously.

“So, why are you hanging out with Percy?” Ratchet asked.

“Jazz is on a scouting mission, he couldn't take me with him, says he's trying to find an energon cache with Hound, Bee and the twins before the Cons do” Marissa replied.

“She was also interested in these lifeforms here, they're fascinating... you don't have to look Jackie...also the WPC will be here shortly, these eggs will hatch a few days from now” Perceptor said as he carefully analysed them.

“They're out now, no issue, better be a good payment, my frame's still bloated as frell” Wheeljack complained. He moved closer to inspect the things he had birthed, he was shocked he was even able to carry them all.

“I've prepared all the samples, even that dead one that was the cause of all this is being given to them, finally everything is over” Perceptor said, Marissa stared at Wheeljack smiling.

“Yeah... I'm glad too” Wheeljack said as he smirked back at the human, there was a knock on the door that caused everyone to jump.

“Come in” Perceptor anounced.

Prowl lead in three bots, their colours all matched, green and black camouflage pattern, their derma covered by military grade visors and faceplates, one was a jet, one was a tank and one was a heavy vehicle, all three walked in unison as if they were one.

“They're here to get their things and go, they're busy people and I'm a busy bot” Prowl complained.

“Pleased to make your acquaintance” Perceptor said, but the bots ignored him and grabbed the supplies and documents that were labelled and set out.

“Apologies, we're in a rush, we thank you for your patronage” The Jet said monotonously.

They cleared out things quickly as they worked in perfect unison, all the cast could do was watch them work, it took them less than fifteen minutes to sort it all.

“Credits will be dispensed into an account, mine locations will be delivered by email and energon caches will be delivered via hiding then sending information” The tank explained.

“Can't ya send it all at once? We um kinda need it here” Wheeljack pushed.

“Unable to fulfil that request, alternative is the only way, you performed admirably, your species are fantastic incubators” The armoured vehicle said, it looked at Ratchet's pedes, making both Ratchet and Wheeljack feel uneasy, they marched off in unison, guided by Prowl.

“They were a bit strange weren't they?” Marissa said.

“I believe they are not Cybertronian, Doc you know anything?” Perceptor asked.

“They resemble us... but they are not us... simply husks...” Ratchet rubbed at his chassis... it looked at his pedes... did they know?

“Well my life will be a whole lot better if I never see them again... creepy” Wheeljack said shaking... incubator? He shuddered, it looked at Ratchet's pedes.

“Well, that's over with... “ Perceptor pointed out.

“Umm... Ratchet... can I see your little spark again?” Marissa asked nervously.

“Just don't touch it” Ratchet groaned opening his chassis.

“How are your room mate's little kittens Marissa?” Wheeljack asked.

“Oh, they're fine, they've opened their eyes and squeak, haven't lost any luckily” Marissa said as she watched the little spark, it seemed to be watching her too, Wheeljack smiled.

“Oh, that's good, in around four months there's going to be little jets flyin' round the place, they'll be a little smaller than you are... Ratchet here is gonna have a bump” Wheeljack teased as he placed a servo on Ratchet's mid, causing him to turn his helm away, cheeks flushed with embarrassment, Marissa giggled, the sight of these giant beings being embarrassed, it was really a treat. 

“This place sounds more like it's gonna be a nursery instead of a military vessel pretty soon” Perceptor teased.

“Ye....yeah...” Ratchet agreed.

“It's quite lively isn't it, does it have a name?” Marissa asked.

“Haven't thought of one yet, it's only at the protoform building stage, we're gonna get some imaging of it pretty soon, interested in seeing?” Wheeljack asked, noting Marissa's excitement.

“YES” She screamed, both Ratchet and the sparkling jumped in response to her loud noise.

“Sorry” Marissa apologised, noticing the reactions of the medic.

“Refrain from creating those high pitched noises in future please” Ratchet whined as Wheeljack scooped her up into his servos.

“Can I come too?” Perceptor asked sheepishly.

“Fine” Ratchet complained, Perceptor excitedly followed behind them.

Ratchet had to admit he felt a little nervous as he laid down positioning himself so that the machine could reveal what was within. Wheeljack kept fiddled with it as he tried to find the spot, he'd used the equipment in Med before so he knew how to work it, fixed them a couple times too. First Aid and Skyfire had sneakily entered to look at the results too, causing Ratchet even more anxiety.

“It's just the protoform... it's nothing to get all worked up over...” Ratchet downplayed watching the screen as it found his gestation chamber.

“Ratch stop moving and wriggling so much as it's honing, ya' knockin it off” Wheeljack complained as he rubbed at Ratchet's twitching thigh, watching him slow his venting and turn his helm to the side as his derma burned with flushed colours.

“Got it... look” Wheeljack squeaked at the screens, excitedly twitching his winglets and flashing his finials.

Ratchet looked to see a tiny grey oval, the protoform was still developing as he stated earlier. He imagined it wouldn't be interesting, it was just the start after all, with no hints of any shape that would define an alt mode. At the sight of the tiny form that would be his sparkling's frame, Ratchet felt his optics water, he was wrong, so wrong as he sobbed.

“I...I don't... our protoform.” Ratchet could hardly form the words to describe the thoughts that raced through his processor, thoughts of worry, anxiety and fear, but also those of hope, happiness and excitement. 

“So much for being uninteresting Ratchet” Wheeljack teased, cleaning the fluids that left his bond's optics.

“Look what I'm building... what I'm making....” Ratchet felt dizzy with whatever emotions that flowed through him, he could hardly pinpoint and describe them all at the physical manifestation within him.

Wheeljack smiled and kissed his bond's derma, the surrounding bots and Marissa watched the screen in silent awe. It had been far too long for all bots present since they'd seen an imaging of a protoform, even in such an early stage. Skyfire had missed the chance to see and even bond with his own in their early stages, if they even were his own, all because of Megatron. 

He hadn't seen them until he rescued Starscream... he didn't even know he was sparked until he grabbed his broken frame and spied his rounded mid. He remembered how sparkbroken he was at the sight, his bond carrying the frames of a monster like Megatron, his optics began to water at the memories as he shook it out of his processor, he was happy for the mechanic and the medic, some bots needed to be.

“So that's what they look like... protoform...” Marissa said, staring at the screen, noting it was a similar shape to a kidney, although much, much larger for her, for the medic it must have been tiny.

“Yes, very early stages the protoform is created.” First Aid chirped.

“Starscream will be beginning the process of spark descent in a week or two... once it does and the frames begin to get their colour and become more defined... we can learn their true parentage” Skyfire added, he was nervous about finding out, he just hoped he was sparked at their bonding just after Megatron had removed his bolt, not at one of Megatron's many forceful ones.

“I'm aware of that and we're all prepared... are you Skyfire?” First Aid asked.

“I hope I am...” Skyfire looked down, he excused himself to be with his bond, to be with Starscream.

“I'm ready for everyone to stop gawking at me now” Ratchet whined sitting up and switching the machine off.

“Can't wait to see the twins... also for that one to grow... so no name yet?” Marissa pestered.

“Not yet... much too early, need somethin' that's gonna fit” Wheeljack said watching his bond rub at his chassis.

“Probably not for a few months...” Ratchet mused.

“Ok, please tell me when you settle on something” Marissa said excitedly as she hopped up and down.

“The whole base will know the name anyway” Wheeljack teased.

“Oh it's gonna be good for everyone, come Marissa, TO THE LAB” Perceptor yelled as he snatched up the human, he still had work to do.

“We're all here to help you if you need Ratchet... I'm gonna get back to preparing medication for Screamy” First Aid excused himself.

“Now what? Wanna go back to the berth” Ratchet asked.

“UGH YES, I need that... I'm gonna swig some of that engex that's been sitting in our cupboards...you can't drink Ratchet... that reminds me... I might owe the twins a favour... we'll get a surprise from them one day” Wheeljack complained, Ratchet was visibly annoyed by Wheeljack, but he guessed he earned a swig.

“I hope it's nothing too annoying, when this ones out, you better buy me a bottle” Ratchet grumbled as he began to walk.

“I will Ratch” Wheeljack smirked.

Once they reached the hall there was no talk of Ratchet's sparkling, even though Jazz was out with a few of the bots and probably wouldn't be back till tomorrow, it was still wise not to talk of it. When they entered their berth and locked the door, Ratchet grabbed at a cube and slowly drank the energon praying he could keep it down. Luckily he only had reflux this time as he took a nice cleansing washdown with his bond, who was equally happy to be back in his own berth.

Wheeljack looked down at his mid, it was still bloated and ached along with his valve which burned every time he took a step or walked, although he was able to manage the pain as seen earlier to a point where nobody suspected it. He knew it would flatten down soon as he sipped at the engex bottle infront of his jealous bond underneath the spray.

When they were cleansed, Wheeljack for the first time in almost two months had actually felt clean and refreshed. He smiled, laughing happily at the feeling he missed so much. No longer did he feel worthless, disgusting and unwanted, he instead felt invigorated, he was to be a sire. A flush of arousal travelled through his frame as he watched Ratchet recline on their berth, his lovely frame carried his sparkling, and he'd be full and round with it eventually, the thought fuelling Wheeljack's arousal. 

Wheeljack sauntered over to his bond crawling seductively over his relaxed frame, kissing his mid and working his way up to his hot chassis, to his neck cables and eventually his mouth as he pushed his long hungry glossa down his intake. Wheeljack felt heat as his burning spike crashed against it's holdings. Moaning into Ratchet's receiving mouth he worked a servo over his mid and prodded at his valve entrance, but it was pushed carefully away by the medics gentle servo followed by a soft voice speaking 'spanner'. Wheeljack broke the kiss and stared into tired optics.

“Ja..Jackie not tonight... lets just rest for tonight please” Ratchet pleaded, he sounded exhausted and sick.

Wheeljack bit his glossa and pulled himself off, spike aching to fill his bond. He guessed Ratchet's frame didn't need any nanites yet, poor thing felt nauseous too by the looks of it “Alright... another time” Wheeljack said venting heavily, as he instead wrapped himself around his larger love, “Can I at least see our little one?”

“Yeah... but I'm gonna pass out before I purge.” Ratchet opened his chassis and Wheeljack instantly stuck a servo inside as he poked and prodded at his little spark, smiling at it's light. 

“I don't think I'll ever get tired of this... finally it all feels perfect” Wheeljack said softly to Ratchet, who had fallen fast into recharge, causing a soft giggle to emerge from his lips.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Why is this so long? What is Cat doing?


End file.
